


Cross Ice

by LaReinaCrimrose



Category: Shugo Chara!
Genre: Angst, Crossover of Religions, Demons, F/M, Hanyou, Kinki No Kodomo, OC romance, Romance, Some Mature/Sensitive Content, Supernatural - Freeform, Trauma, minor horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2018-12-20 20:51:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 194,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11929038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaReinaCrimrose/pseuds/LaReinaCrimrose
Summary: Snow Hisayuki is lost. Not just physically, with her lackluster sense of direction, but mentally - ever since a tragic event that occurred in her childhood. She travels to the city of Akutetsu in hopes of confronting her past and moving on with her life, but ends up with far more than she bargained for when the creatures called 'Shugo Chara' appear before her. The people associated with the mysterious phenomena turn out to be more than allies, even friends, and she soon realizes she has something to keep living for. But Shugo Chara aren't the only strange things lurking within the barrier of the city. There are much darker things, sinister things, and Snow is at the center of it all as the only one of her kind in the world.





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Mom?"

The wooden door to our renovated Victorian home creaked open with an eerie squeal. The entry hall was dark, almost as if the shadows were clawing out to me. I frowned into the lack of light, somewhat frightened by it and the lack of response. Not a sound echoed throughout the historic building where I was born and lived for five years, not even a distant creak or groan of the dark wooden floors.

I was instantly curious- and worried. Mom was always home when I got home from school, usually making eyes at my father, who returned them with a passion. A lot of kids my age said that their parents were divorced- a real fancy term that meant they weren't together anymore. But anyone could take one look at my parents and tell that they were still completely in love with each other. Even me, at the young age of five. So hearing no response was something to be concerned about, indeed.

I stepped through the threshold, kicking off high black shoes. I poked my head around the wall that separated the living room from the hallway, seeing nothing but more darkness, and a shadow of the twilight sun peering in through the large bay window. Swivelling my head the other way, I did notice a figure: a long-haired woman sitting alone on the couch, her locks covering her face in a shadow. It was surely my mother, though I had never seen her this way before- without my father, and very downcast.

So, being the young and oblivious child I was, I automatically trotted up to her with a large grin on my face. "I'm home, mom," I sang, trying to get under her curtain of dark hair so she would look at me. She didn't. She barely even acknowledged my presence.

My brows furrowed in worry. "Mommy? Are you sick?"

She did look at me then. Slowly she lifted her head, completely eclipsed in shadow, and even a child like me could see that the look on her face was not pleasant. Her eyes were filled with such an intense, hollow devastation that suddenly my next words became strangled in my throat. Those aqua eyes, usually so filled with cheer and life, were completely void of any emotion.

Considering that she still wasn't talking, I waved a hand in front of her vacant face, though it was trembling. "Mom?" I asked again, my voice shaking. "Are you okay? Where's Dad?"

After a few long, painstaking moments of silence, my mother barely whispered two words that changed everything: my normal life, who I was, who she was to me. She stared at me, that same empty look in her eyes, and simply said, "He's gone."

My heart, usually the pace of a hummingbird's wings, suddenly stopped and was dropped into the endless pit that was my stomach. As expected, my first reaction was denial; my daddy wouldn't go anywhere, not without me and the woman he desperately loved. But then I realized with horror that Mom was telling the truth. The vacant look in her eyes, his notable absence- my father had left.

"Where… did he go?" I asked, struggling hard not to cry.

My mother's eyes flashed with something I had never seen before in my life: insanity.

"They took him," she growled, fisting her hands in her long black skirt. "They took him from me. No…" She turned those mad, mad eyes on me, completely wild and darting everywhere like a frightened chameleon. " _You_ took him from me."

Tears did start rolling down my cheeks, then. Big, fat tears that coloured my cheeks red and made snot drip out of my nose. "What do you mean?" I demanded sorrowfully, following her as she suddenly shot up from her spot and swiftly glided to the kitchen. "What do you mean 'he's gone'? What do you mean by 'I took him away'?!"

Mom didn't answer; she was a statue in the diner-tiled kitchen, the only thing that proved she was still aware the mad darting of her eyes. Something caught her attention, and she made her ways to one of the many drawers that created a sort of barrier around us.

"Mommy, you're scaring me," I whimpered, broken sounds of distress escaping my lips even though I tried to prevent them.

She wasn't listening to me; she was rummaging through the large, white drawer, completely focused on her task. I was about to start screaming at her when she finally found what she was looking for, and my voice completely died.

She brandished a large, deadly-looking kitchen knife, the one I had seen her use multiple times to cut meat and cook it like an evil mastermind. She inspected it with a scrutinizing eye, like checking for any imperfections that might hinder her task. Then, very, eerily slowly, she turned her head around to look at me, with a wide smile on her face that was not at all pleasant.

"Muh… Mommy…?" I asked again, my voice rapidly becoming more of a rasp. I backed up as she suddenly began striding towards me, the knife hanging from her side in an iron grasp.

Mom lifted the knife, and it glinted like flames in the twilight sun seeping through the window like bloody tears. That's when I began to run, bolting through the house while dodging any pointy surfaces that would jut out in my way and try to disrupt my path. Even as I ran through the living room and down the hallway, I could always hear her calm footsteps behind me, a rhythm that was much slower than the pounding of my heart and the tears streaming from my eyes.

The fatal error occurred when I tripped, just one little screw-up of my sock foot, against a triangular flap sticking out from the carpet that Dad always tried to fix by stepping on it firmly. Apparently, it never worked. Mom was suddenly right above me, that wide grin on her face creating ugly, unnatural lines that made her seem like a completely insane stranger.

A coppery taste was pooling in my mouth; the jarring sensation of my head thudding against the floor had caused me to bite my tongue. I opened my mouth, to call her name, to scream for help, something- and I choked back on it, coughing up red and staining the carpet.

My mother- the woman that loved me, raised me, adored my father- rose the deadly blade high above her head, a menacing snarl replacing the creepy grin. My eyes widened in horror just before she slashed it down and hurt me, cut me much beyond physical repair.

Just before she brought it down, I let out a cry and she said some words, so casual and clearly stated that they cut me even deeper than the knife.

"No one will miss you."


	2. Bringing On the Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of Snow's arrival in Akutetsu, and strange things start happening almost immediately - including but not limited to her, of course, getting lost. Thankfully there's someone who can point her in the right direction, though they seem a bit mysterious themselves...

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.** _

 

 

**Chapter I**

**_Bringing On the Snow_ **

"Man, is it ever early in the year for snow."

I almost laughed, but then I realized that the cab driver was not making a pun; he was simply commenting on the irregular weather. I still wasn't used to this damp, wet, and dreary land; Louisiana was always humid and warm. Living here was going to be something completely new, a brand new start to a new life.

At least, that's what I liked to think of it as.

"It sure is," I agreed, only because I had nothing else to contribute to this conversation with a complete stranger.

"So she's not a mute," he chuckled, glancing back at me in the rear-view mirror. His eyes were the colour of coal, reflecting the light of the street lamps flashing by back at me.

"No," I smiled, settling further into my upholstered seat. "I just never have much to say."

"That's an odd accent you got there," he observed, and my face coloured. I knew that it wouldn't go unnoticed. I only hoped I wouldn't get made fun of because of it at my new school.

Ugh. School.  
"It's a yat dialect," I elaborated, sinking even further into the seats that smelled faintly of mildew and cigarette smoke. "It's how we sound down in New Orleans."

"Ah, so you come from the land of Mardi Gras." Now he sounded genuinely interested instead of making polite conversation. "I've always wanted to visit. What's it like?"

"Pretty fun," I mumbled, staring out the window. "There's a lot of lights and laughter and families. It's honestly my favourite time of year." Unlike this place, where it seemed like a giant wave had crashed overhead and drowned everything in sight. Not that Louisiana wasn't like that; it was probably my favoured memories of my hometown that made me biased about the place.

The cabby didn't prod me for anymore, most likely sensing that I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. I had never lived on my own before. Even the orphanage was filled with countless screaming kids, and everybody knew everybody. I had no friends here, no one to rely on. The only person I did know never wanted to even hear my name again, let alone see me. So I was truly alone in this place.

It wasn't like my family just completely abandoned me here; they promised to send me money every month to help with the rent for the cheap apartment they managed to find for me. They even set me up with a job and had all my stuff shipped here. They made me promise to call whenever I could, so even if I didn't make any friends, I always had them to talk to. Though, I had to admit, it would be a bit lonely.

Thinking about the whole situation as a whole, I realized that I may not be starting a "new life". What I came here to do, who I came to see… it was like I was forcing myself back into the old, reviving old memories and scars that should be kept hidden, like the knife slashes covering my stomach and back.

This town, that person… I came here to find myself, the one I had lost so long ago along with my father.

Silently, I watched the small, flying snowflakes slash by in flashes of white out the window. This town seemed like an embodiment of my name, even in late October. I wondered who I would meet here, what I would see. I wondered what awaited me in this entirely new place made of white, mush, and lights.

"We're here," the cabby said suddenly, jarring me out of my thoughts. I jolted in surprise, then glanced out the right side window to see the restaurant East Side Mario's, my new place of employment. The shrunken Statue of Liberty standing by the double doors holding a tomato gave me a very sour vibe, and not for the first time did I start thinking that this was a very bad idea. I was stopping by here first to check and make sure that everything about my new waitress job was negotiated, then I planned to walk to my new apartment from here… if I could get a map.

"Thank you very much… Sam," I told the cabby, checking his name tag and smiling. I handed him the required sum of money for transporting me to here from the airport, and he accepted it with a grin.

"Good luck, kid," he chuckled, tipping his newspaper boy cap down to me in a sign of friendliness. As I hauled my purse and suitcase from the trunk of the cab, I thought to myself,  _well, if I don't make any real friends, I'll always have a really friendly taxi driver._ The thought was not very comforting, but it was something.

As the bumblebee coloured car swiveled away, kicking up mush and snow as it passed, I got a good look at the city I was now residing in. Everything seemed to slow down compared to New Orleans, with sluggish people trudging by in the thin layer of frosty precipitation. There were towering apartment buildings that appeared to be made of something like glass, reflecting the scene and unhappy people back at them. I seemed completely different from the people who paced by me, the way I dressed, how straight I stood. Oh, great. I hadn't even been here for five minutes and I'm already an outsider. Now I was incredibly hesitant to talk to anybody, let alone go to school and work.

But I couldn't give up here, not when I made it so far. I would make a life here. Everything would be alright. I pushed back my long bangs from my face, revealing my oddly coloured eyes to the world. They were the eyes of my father, and I was happy to have them as a reminder of the sweet and caring man that I so loved.

Using my back to push the double glass doors open, I backed into the Italian restaurant, earning some odd looks, and even more curious ones once people noticed how odd I looked, wearing ripped black leggings, a light white and gray plaid fall coat that cinched in at the waist, and shiny black Doc Martens. The restaurant was warm and smelled distinctly of tomato sauce and chicken, and I could hear consistent chattering from every corner and booth. Contrary to my belief, it seemed like a homey and welcoming place, with smiling servers and laughter booming from the bar.

The hostess standing at the podium looked at me curiously and smiled. "What can I help you with? Just one?" She asked.

I shook my head, white hair flying back and forth. "Oh, no, I'm not here to eat." Her eyebrows peaked at my accent, but I stood my ground. "My name is Snow Hisayuki, and I'm supposed to be working here starting Wednesday."

"Oh, you're our new waitress," she sang cheerily, sounding genuinely happy to have another pair of hands to help out. "Yes, everything is set for Wednesday. Would you like to speak to the owner?"

"Oh, that's alright. They must be busy," I laughed, feeling more at ease with this young, pretty girl being so welcoming to me. I had to remind myself that not everyone in this world is that nice, something I knew all too well.

"No, I'm not," said a small voice from beside me, and I turned and looked down to see a short and stout woman with close-cropped dark hair looking up at me. Her glasses were completely rectangular and rimless, giving me the impression that she meant business. Even though I was a head taller than her, I was fairly intimidated.

Which was fully justified when she spoke next. "Get out of the way. You're disturbing our customers." Oh boy, it was going to be a long working experience. "Come with me. We're going to my office."

I followed her through the bustling restaurant, dodging servers juggling numerous plates and trays. We were approaching a lone door beside the kitchen, which was filled with white-dressed chefs seasoning, frying, you name it. She pushed the door open and didn't bother holding it for me, so I had to use my back again, which made an 'oof' erupt from my throat. This all felt so surreal, being so far away from home in a busy restaurant with a grumpy boss. I could honestly say that a place like this was the last place I expected to find myself in.

The door closed behind me, and I faced her 'office', which looked more like a pantry with a desk, chair, and laptop stationed in the middle. She plopped down in the swivelling chair, and gestured for me to make myself at home on an empty tomato crate. With an internal shrug, I dropped my stuff down and sat on it gingerly.

She stared at me in silence for a moment, judging, scrutinizing. Then she opened her red-lipped mouth to speak and reveal some crooked teeth. "You're Snow Hisayuki, yes?"

I nodded.

"You're lucky that we just so happened to be looking for another server," she sighed, leaning back into the chair. "Otherwise you would've been out of luck. It's hard to find work in the city nowadays. Now, I'll go over some rules right now, but I'll get Louise to go over them with you again on Wednesday." I didn't even bother asking who Louise was. "First, do what the customer says. If they want something done with their meal, allow it. Don't you dare insult or threaten them, or you're done. Mess with the food and you're done. Sneak anything out of here without permission and you're  _done,_ got it?"

Frightened into silence, I could only nod again.

"Good. The standard uniform is all black. Black pants, black shirt, black shoes, get it or you're incompetent. We will provide you with an establishment tee shirt. I'm assuming your size is small."

It wasn't a question, but I felt the need to correct her before it ended up not fitting on Wednesday and I just made her even more cranky. "Large, actually. I'm tall enough to fit in one without it being baggy."

She glanced down at my chest, and seemed to think that there was another reason for that. "Right, whatever. So you know, tardiness or absences will not be tolerated under any circumstance. I don't care if you stayed up late because of school and are too sick to even get out of bed. Put on a surgeon's mask and get your ass over here. That is all."

I was surprised by how abruptly the briefing ended, but she didn't seem to want to waste any time. She was already getting out of her chair, and I scrambled to stand up and remain straight-backed in her presence. This was clearly a woman I could not show any weakness to. I'd have to keep that in mind.

She ushered me out the door, and I had to struggled to pick my luggage back up. Just before she kicked me out, she forced a mean-looking smile on her face and said, "My name is Julie Garrett, but I expect you to call me Mrs. Garrett."

Then she slammed the door in my face.

 _Mrs_. Garret, not Ms. I pitied her husband, imagining that she was probably like a black widow spider.

I made my way out of the restaurant, trying not to meet the intrigued gazes of all who I passed. The smiling hostess waved goodbye to me and said, "See you on Wednesday!" I snuck a peek at her name tag: Louise. Well, at least I'd be working with someone who was nice.

Once I opened the doors outside, a blast of frigid air blew into the restaurant, and I caught some people shiver. But I didn't. I never got cold, not even once. I didn't know why; when I was young, I was pushed into the snow while play fighting like any other kid. But I didn't feel the cold. It just felt like a soft powder to me, nothing more. I could keep my hand in a snow drift for hours and feel nothing. And it wasn't like I could ask my parents whether my immunity to the cold was hereditary or not.

I stopped by the convenience store next to East Side and bought a map of the area. I was on my way to Crystalshire Apartments, which was apparently a fair distance away. Upon exiting, I would have to make my way through many a streetlight in the east direction, and they were apparently quite big, swanky, and easy to spot. Should be easy enough.

With a chime of a merry bell, I left the convenience store and looked to my right, the direction I believed east to be. I began sloshing through the mush with my purse hitched over my shoulder and heavy suitcase in hand, hoping to get there soon so I wouldn't have to carry it anymore. I strolled under the numerous lights giving the city life, passing complete strangers by who all gave me weird looks.

The sky was dark, little signs of stars peeking out behind heavy slate clouds. Little dainty snowflakes floated on by my face, getting stuck in my hair. But it wasn't like you could differentiate the two, considering that my hair was the colour of pure white snow itself. It was like my father's, yet another common trait with him that I relished.

After numerous turns, stoplights, weird looks, and unfamiliar area covered with towering buildings, townhouses, and establishments, I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and accidentally made someone bump into me. I apologized desperately, and they waved it off. When they walked off, I surveyed the area around me with a nervous expression. There was no doubt in my mind; I was lost.

I heaved a sigh. From a very young age, I had zero sense of direction. My parents had to walk me to school until the fifth grade. And even when I was supposed to walk to school by myself for the first time, using the same route I had every year prior to that, I  _still_ got lost. Some withered old man had to help me find my way, and then I got made fun of for being late. This time, it wouldn't be like that. There didn't seem to really be anyone around to help me, not a familiar face in a sea of strangers. Then I noticed two men standing a distance away, staring at me with a curious, probing gaze. They seemed friendly enough, wearing spiffy clothes and looking clean-shaven. So I trotted over to them, map in hand, and was greeted with two identical grins.

"Excuse me," I said in my light, quiet voice. They had to lean closer to hear me over the hustle and bustle of the crowd around us. Since they were close, I caught a faint whiff of alcohol on their breath.  _Don't freak out; I'm sure you'll be fine, Snow._ "I seem to be lost. Could you tell me how to get to Crystalshire Apartments from here?"

"What's the rush?" One asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders. Chills ran down my spine, and I flinched away from his touch. I was embarrassed enough from having to ask for directions in the first place, and now I was being  _flirted_ with? It was already a bad start to my new life. "You could just come hang out with us for a while."

I could not believe he just used a clichéd line like that in front of me. I shrugged out of his grip, not even looking back. "Never mind. I can ask someone else." Damn, I was a bad judge of character.

"Don't think so," the other guy said, suddenly grabbing my wrist and pulling me back. I looked up at him with a wild look in my eyes. "You're coming with us. We'll show you a good time."

 _This cannot be happening._ I had never seen such audacious behaviour before in New Orleans, men shamelessly flirting with woman and not even giving them a choice in the matter. I put all my strength in my arm and tried to wrench my wrist away, but his grip was too strong. There was a wicked look in his eye, accompanied by an evil glint, and then they were suddenly dragging me away from the crowd, into a little crevice of space between two buildings that smelt like dumpster and cats.

 _Son of a bitch._ I desperately and furiously tried shoving them off, using my anger to fuel me. My luggage had been ditched at the entrance to the alleyway, and I looked back at it in despair, my vision going red with anger. This was utterly and completely stupid. I heard of girls getting raped and stuff before, but I never could've imagined that it would happen to me. Only, it  _wouldn't_ happen to me. I wouldn't let it. I wouldn't let two stupid drunks take my freaking chastity away. If I had to kick, scream, thrash, bite, whatever, I would get out of this. The whole situation was juvenile.

A piercing, cracking noise startled me out of my furious struggling. It seemed to take the attention of the guys away from me as well, since they whipped their heads back and started looking for the source. Then, all at the same time, we noticed it. Branches of clear ice with a blue and purple hue crawling up their legs.

Before they could even demand what was going on, the guy that had been holding me to the ground suddenly pitched forward to my side, landing right on his head with a sound of agony. I snapped my head up to check what was going on, and saw a silhouette of a guy holding up his leg like he had just kicked the man in the back and sent him sprawling.

The other one got up from kneeling and pinning me to the ground in a fury, making a fist with his hand, as if to strike my saviour. He easily dodged with a swift move away, jumped in the air, and with a little spin, kicked him in the back of the head, as well. My jaw was touching the pavement as I struggled to sit up. I had never seen someone move like that before, so agile and predatory. The darkness of the alley prevented me from seeing him properly, though by his height and lean body shape, he should've been around my age.

The two men were clearly unconscious, the first one with blood pooling under his head. I shivered at how familiar the sight looked to me, since I had been in a position like that once before. I almost pitied them, but they tried to have their way with me. So I would just turn a blind eye to an incident like this.

My heart was nearly bursting out of my chest with panic and fear. I hadn't realized how scared I was; I could only focus on how mad I was at their stupidity. To take my mind off of it, I turned to my saviour and said, "Thank you very much. I didn't know what I was going to do."

Even in the darkness, the light coming from the city beyond illuminated the rise and fall of broad shoulders. "It wasn't to save you. They were just annoying me."

Well, that wasn't what I had been expecting at all. His posture seemed tense, definitely aggravated and looking ready to pounce at any given moment. Maybe this guy was no better than the other two. Before I could try and make a quick getaway, he turned to me and asked, "Why were you talking to two guys like that, anyway? You must not be too bright."

Now I was getting annoyed. "I was lost, okay," I admitted with embarrassment, feeling with horror as my face coloured.

"Where were you trying to get to?" His voice was deep and mysterious-like, completely different from the boys I had always gone to school with. This guy, whoever he was, seemed very mature, and very strong.

I shrugged one shoulder, hesitant to admit that I was looking for what should've been an obvious apartment building. "Crystalshire Apartments," I said finally.

I could almost sense him raise his eyebrows.

"I'm new in town, okay?" I grumbled, a bit insulted. They couldn't be  _that_ obvious to foreigners.

"That's obvious," he snorted. My very thin thread of patience snapped, and I trudged back to pick up my luggage and start heading out. But just before I abandoned him in that dark alleyway, he called to me, "I can take you there."

I turned back slightly, intrigued by this stranger that seemed to be a walking contradiction. He said he only helped me because those guys were annoying him, but now he's going to show me the way to my new home? I didn't know what to believe. But one thing was for sure: this stranger, whoever he was, was an enigma.

"Would you really?" I asked cautiously, folding in on myself slightly, as if to encase myself in a protective little shell. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because," he began, striding forward with long, lithe legs. Little by little, light was being shed on his mysterious and tall form, even taller than me. I warily hitched my purse over my shoulder and clutched my suitcase in my hand. He was right in front of me now, his presence intimidating and cold. "I would never even think of touching a girl like you."

He fully stepped out of the alleyway, leaving me and my slack jaw to stare after him dumbly. I numbly followed after him, willing to at least give this guy a chance, because he was a total jerk and clearly had no intentions of even trying to be kind to me. So that meant that he wasn't lying when he said that he wasn't going to do anything… I hoped.

Once fully illuminated by the streetlights again, I took a deep breath to calm my rapid heartbeat. Everything was okay now. I was safe, and those guys weren't coming after me again. I would be alright. With that in mind, I let my eyes travel up to my saviour standing at my side.

And then they nearly exploded from my head.

Judging from his height and form, I knew he was a guy around my age. What I didn't know was that he was an insanely  _gorgeous_ guy around my age. He was definitely tall, with coiled, lean muscles that showed through his dark shirt underneath his light fall coat. His skin matched the snow falling from the sky, the flakes getting caught in his stark contrast of wild, blue-black hair. He stared ahead with a bored expression on his smooth, angular face, his cobalt eyes flat and emotionless. White puffs of breath were shooting out from his mouth as he breathed serenely, and I quickly gathered my bearings so I wouldn't get caught drooling at him.

There had been attractive guys at my old high school; there seemed to be some at every one. But I had never seen a guy looking like this, all light and shadow in one attractive bundle. I wondered curiously who he was and if he went to my school. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, the same age as me or younger, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he did. Suddenly I wanted to know what his name was, and why he was bothering to help me when his expression clearly said that it was only troublesome.

He had been waiting patiently for the crossing light to turn green, and began striding ahead when it did, being propelled to a fast speed with his long legs covered in dark jeans. I struggled behind him, my suitcase wearing me down. Since I was getting a good look at his broad back, I could see a case hitched over his shoulder, looking to house either a violin or an instrument like it. So he was a musician. I wasn't even going to get into how appealing I found that.

"Do you play?" I asked him, hoping for just some polite conversation. We had finished crossing the street when he suddenly made a left turn down another mushy sidewalk.

He seemed to almost forget that I was there, but then he glanced back at me curiously. Almost imperceptibly, his eyes widened a fraction, then he looked away again. "Not professionally," he responded, not looking back again.

"It's still pretty amazing," I mumbled, almost to myself. "I have never heard of a teenager playing the violin before. It must be hard."

He shrugged, the strap to the black case falling down a fraction before he pushed it back up his shoulder. "It used to be. Now I just play it when I want to, and it comes naturally."

I found this intriguing. I thought that he was a completely rude and disinterested guy, but he might be another case of having 'hidden depth'. It fascinated me how he only played when he wanted to, not because he had to. He struck me kind of as the rule-breaking type in that way.

He glanced back at me for a second, then whipped his head away again. "Where are you from? You speak weirdly."

I bristled like an angry cat. "I just moved here from New Orleans, thank you very much. It's a yat dialect."

"New Orleans?" The deep, bored tone of his voice transformed into something that faintly resembled interest. "What brings you all the way over here?"

"I have some… business to take care of," I muttered hesitantly, allowing my gaze to wander away to the tall buildings and lights. Thankfully, he didn't ask for any more information than that, probably sensing that it was a difficult topic to ask a stranger about.

Instead, I focused on the way we were going, trying to imprint the direction and path into my memory so an incident like that never happened again. The only thing that was really note-worthy was a park nearby, with weeping willows skimming the ground with pointed leaves and a little pond that had the beginnings of ice forming on it, little claws trying to race to the middle to freeze it over. I could see couples sitting and snuggling on benches for warmth, and I looked at them with blatant disdain. Throughout eighteen years, I had never had a boyfriend. Sure, I had giggly little crushes like any other girl about the hottest guy in school who was way out of my league, but other than that, I had no romantic history to speak of.

It's not that I wasn't interested in it, per se; it was more like I could never bring myself to truly fall for someone, to trust them wholly and completely. Boys were most likely the same way with me, considering that I had been told on more than one occasion that I was hard to approach. I didn't understand why; I was an open book who had no problem with smiling and laughing. What did they know?

"We're almost there," the guy in front of me said, bored once again. I snapped out of my reverie, looking around to see if I could notice the apartments I was meant to be living in from this day on. After a few heartbeats of scouring, I finally understood why I was looked at with scorn when I said that I had gotten lost trying to find them.

With a blinking bright sign that clearly read 'Crystalshire Apartments' even from a distance away, this place was impossible to miss. It towered over the rest of the buildings, and appeared to be made of a substance that resembled black glass. There was an aura of light around it, the individual apartments shining out and appearing to give it an air of magic. I rummaged in my coat pocket while trying not to stare at it open-mouthed, and eventually managed to dig out the slip of paper my mother gave me with the floor and unit number I was meant to stay in. But knowing me, I would get lost in the actual building.

I bit my lip and looked at the building again. Even though it looked all extravagant from the outside, I imagined that it would be really lonely to live in by myself. Legible as I was to take care of myself, I would always miss my mom's home cooking, Dad's scent as he walked back inside from the deck after puffing on a cigarette, my sibling's squeals and giggles. I was so used to a lot of noise, both from the orphanage and my adopted family. Fear suddenly began coursing through me, from the unknown future and the past I was going to confront again.

"Problem?" The guy in front of me asked, looking back only slightly. Even though his deep voice didn't reflect it, there was a spark of kindness in his eyes, one filled with sincerity and curiosity. It was one rare to find in anyone nowadays, and I was glad to have met this man, even for a short amount of time.

So I smiled as brightly as I could at him, flashing my perfect white teeth that required no dental work. "I'm fine," I said, touched by this stranger's concern and aid. "Thank you so much for helping me. I probably would've been wandering out here forever if you hadn't found me."

"Or been made into those guy's toy," he snorted, and the touching moment I had thought we'd been sharing was completely shattered by his poor attitude. I pursed my lips in irritation and flipped my head away.

"I'm so sorry that my almost having my chastity stolen away was such an inconvenience for you."

"Of course it was," he chuckled, and I was surprised by how much I liked his laugh, even if it was because he was insulting me. We had finally made it to the sidewalk in front of the apartments, and I honestly felt like a fruit fly in their towering majesty. If something wrong were to ever go down and cause this thing to fall, half the town could be taken with them. My legs shook slightly, but not from the cold, of course.

The guy suddenly turned around to face me, and looking at him head-on was way more shocking than I thought it would be. He had a certain mischievous arch to his eyebrows, a little twinkle in eyes of deep midnight. There was this little cat-like grin on his face that spelled trouble with a capital 'T'.

He was suddenly very close to my face, so close that I had no choice but to stare right into his eyes and marvel at the length of his eyelashes that girls must've killed for. I could even smell him, a faint minty scent that without a doubt came from soap, and something spicier and more rustic. My heart was in my throat, eradicating any hope of breathing properly, as he gently lifted a strand of my white hair, held it to his lips, and grinned against it.

"That's my job," he continued, and I realized that he was probably one of those guys that teased and played with women just for the hell of it. Before I could stumble over what would've undoubtedly been a poor retort, he pulled away again, and my face was able to drain some of the blood from my cheeks.

"The name's Ikuto," he said with the same smirk, looking down at me with something like interest in his gaze. "And I guess I'll be seeing you around…?" He was waiting for my name. I didn't know if I wanted to give it to someone like him, who apparently had moodswings like a woman on her period.

But he did save me, after all. He also helped me because I was hopelessly lost. So I jutted my chin out at him to show that I wasn't weak or giving in to his games and said, "Snow. Snow Hisayuki."

"Well, it suits you, if nothing else," he chuckled again, and I had to strain myself not to smack him. "See you later, Snow."

As he began striding away, completely cool and infuriatingly confident, I called after him angrily, "I don't remember giving you permission to address me so informally!"

The only sign that he heard me was the rumble of his shoulders that surely meant he was laughing.

Whoever this "Ikuto" guy really was, he really was a paradox. And even though he almost drove me to drink, I couldn't help but look back at his retreating form only to see that he had completely disappeared. The only sign that he had been here at all were large, guy footprints in the thin layer of snow left by his boots, accompanied by some very, very small…

Cat paw prints?


	3. Resonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow attempts to settle into her new apartment in Akutetsu, as well as become accustomed to her surroundings - in an attempt not to get lost everywhere she goes, naturally. Upon investigating her new school, Seiyo Academy, she runs into a couple of guys who seem to take an odd interest in her.

**Chapter II**

**_Resonance_ **

This night just seemed to get weirder and weirder. First I was attacked by and then saved by total strangers, and now I was seeing phantom paw prints? I was surely losing my mind, which apparently ran in the family. Grumbling to myself about strange men and shaking my head, I made my way through the parking lot in front of the tower that was meant to be my new residence.

The lights from the individual units were shining onto the street and glinting off of the shiny surfaces of new and fancy-looking cars, a sure sign of wealth I did not have. How on earth was I supposed to afford living here with the measly paycheck I was sure to be getting from a restaurant? I'd have to call my parents tomorrow and talk it over with them.

There was barely a crunch underfoot as I strolled briskly over the dust of snow on the ground, eager to get inside and set everything up. It was, after all, Saturday, and I planned to spend Sunday getting used to the neighbourhood that I was surely going to get lost in and planning out a walking route to school. Therefore, I didn't have much time to do anything before school started on Monday. With that in mind, I picked up the pace and eventually crossed the entire parking lot and was swished into the foyer by some automatic doors (eep).

Upon crossing the threshold into the warm building, the first thing I noticed was an entire wall of mailboxes to my right. I made a face at them and all the tenants that were apparently calling this place home. On the left side of the entrance was a mahogany door that read 'Management' in some fancy-ass gold lettering. I steeled my shoulders and made my heavy legs carry me over there despite the frantic and panicked pace of my heart. I rapped on the door quietly but urgently, meaning that I meant business and soon, but I wasn't going to be mean about it.

A suave-looking man with slicked back salt-and-pepper hair greeted me with a smile that looked permanently imprinted on his face from abusing it too much. "Hello," he greeted in a deep, polite voice. The office he had just emerged from smelled awfully sterile and like leather, making the scent waft into the lobby. "What can I help you with?"

"Uh, hi," I said, almost visibly wincing at my audible hesitation. "I'm the new tenant that was supposed to be moving in today?"

"Ah, yes, I've been expecting you." He held out a withered, pale hand to shake, and I took it with one of my clammy ones. I immediately regretted doing so once our hands were apart and he tried to discreetly wipe his palm on his spiffy pantaloons. "Snow Hisayuki, yes?" I nodded, incapable of furthering any coherent conversation. "Hang on just one moment."

He quickly darted back into the office, leaving me alone in the potpourri smelling foyer. The walls were a dark, polished wood, the floor a glistening red tile with intricate golden designs. My brain was automatically pounding the words  _I don't belong here_  into my every thought, and I didn't realize how true they were at the time.

"Here we are," said the man, slithering out of the office so suddenly I jumped. He gave me an odd speculating look, but blessedly chose to ignore my jumpiness. "Mary and Jack are very good friends of mine. I'm appeased to finally be of use to them." Mary and Jack were my aforementioned adopted parents who seemed to have some sort of connection with everyone, and could always get discounts or coupons wherever they went. It didn't come as a surprise that they were able to get a swanky apartment like this for a deal.

He handed me a key to what must've been my new apartment that glinted like a bladed knife in the lights of the foyer. "This is your key, and I trust that you will take the utmost care of it. If you ever have any problems, do not hesitate to come to me or any other one of the workers in the building. My name is Reginald Brooks, for the record, and my assistant that can be seen running around every now and again- you'll recognize her by all the flyaway hair and cowlicks- is Susan. You're on floor twelve, unit one hundred and twenty-three." He cocked his head to the side and gave me a peculiar look. "Do you need me to show you the way?"

Ah. So he was informed of my unfortunate dyrexia. I shook my head, forcing a smile on my face. "No, thank you."

"Good luck settling in, then. And do try not to disturb your neighbours." And with that, he turned on the heel of his black, polished loafers and strode back into his office, practically slamming the door.

…Was there something about me today that honestly gave everyone the impression that I liked to be emotionally abused? Shaking my head, I made my way over to the elevator that glinted like steel in the light, and pressed the button with the arrow pointing up.

I had to wait a while, tapping my foot and an impatient rhythm and pondering over the events of the night. My job was all set up, so I didn't have a thing to worry about, really. The only thing that kept bothering me was that Ikuto guy. Now I was really hoping that we didn't go to school together, since his personality highly resembled that of a cat's. Haughty, bored, likes to play with things without really considering anyone but himself. Feh. And just earlier he proclaimed he "wouldn't even think of touching someone like me", but then he goes and acts all suave and charming a few minutes later? Man, talk about a sense of disconnection.

I should probably just forget about it. After all, I was now living in a big city, and there was a chance I'd never see him again. Satisfied with that closure, I smiled and nodded to myself as if there was someone listening to my thoughts. I heard the monotonous ding of the elevator that meant it had reached the foyer, and I was about to watch it open and step in when I noticed someone.

The foyer opened in the small, business area, then expanded further into more of a lounge, with stuffed velvety red chairs, oriental wallpaper, and shiny mahogany tables. My eyes travelled over to that area to find someone staring at me with their jaw completely slack. It was hard to define any features from the light illuminating their back, but I could clearly define the look of their eyes nearly popping out of their head.

Tense moments of silent ticked on by as we stared silently at each other, a cold sweat beading on the back of my neck. What was their deal? I was just standing here, and I didn't look  _that_  out of place in a swanky place like this… did I? They stumbled forward slightly, almost in a daze, and I was able to discern that it was a man, who looked to be in his early twenties from his smooth, pale complexion and eyes that were completely aware.

His hair was dark, with bangs that fell into eyes the colour of a neon green sign, blinking repeatedly in surprise. He was tall, taller than me by a few inches, wearing a black and white business suit with a crisp white shirt and a strangely shaped pendant swinging from his neck that looked oddly like a snowflake. The eyelashes that framed those two green beacons of light made it seem like he could've been wearing mascara, casting eerie shadows over his face, and almost making him seem like a predator. It may have just been the pressure from all this moving going to my head, but I was pretty sure that having someone like that gaping at you wasn't normal.

It was a few more moments until he spoke, and when he did, my body completely froze as if ice had bloomed inside of me. "Gabriel…?" He said, barely a whisper.

The sound of my father's name coming out of some stranger's mouth got him a good glare and the snapping of my teeth. I didn't want to know why he asked if I was my father, so I turned on my heel and marched straight into the elevator. I was enveloped by a strange, almost orange scent that most elevators seemed to carry, and was trapped in a case of glass, different reflections of me surrounding me like a crushing pressure.

My bangs, usually swept over to the side just above my right eyebrow, were covering my right eye, hiding half of my broken expression from the world. The image of my father, so etched into my mind that it was impossible to erode away, flitted through my mind like a fleeting dream. I clenched my shaking hands into fists. That day thirteen years ago was what destroyed my life. Why would he leave? I could never straighten out the jumbled mess of that day in my head, no matter how hard I tried over the years. He was happy with Mom and I, always smiling and teaching me many things. I couldn't conjure up a plausible reason for why he would even think of leaving.

I shook my head and smacked my cheeks. It wasn't the time to be burning over the past now. It was over with, and he was gone. There was really no point in wondering why it happened, since I believed that everything happened for a reason. Besides, he could be dead for all I know. The thought wasn't painful to consider at all, maybe because while I did love my father, he also ruined what could've been a good life by leaving. Maybe I resented him and loved him at the same time. There was a strange numbness in my chest, further proving my theory that while I had a smile on my face more often than not, my heart could very well be made of ice.

The reflective elevator dinged when it reached floor twelve, and I heaved a sigh as the doors slid open. This was it; I was about to step into my new home. Ugh, I'd have to sort through so many things, trying to quietly move furniture and loading stuff into closets. Moving was such a hassle, and it was even worse when you were living alone and had no one to help you. Pain in the ass, here I come.

The hallway was warm and welcoming, with vanilla bean coloured walls and a crimson carpet covering the floor and muffling my footsteps. Scattered down the hallway in a straight line and sequential pattern were little dark-coloured tables with vases of flowers spilling over them in a waterfall of colours and scents. Not being one for botany, I hardly recognized any of them, except for maybe the drooping pink bleeding hearts that grazed the surface of the table. Which just so happened to be stationed right next to my unit, one hundred and twenty-three. That seemed easy enough. My apartment was literally 1-2-3. I doubted I'd get lost… too often.

Even though my pounding heart was mostly because of my nervousness, I couldn't stop the goofy grin from exploding on my face. I was old enough to take care of myself (to an extent, anyway). I considered this a huge accomplishment, although not much had changed from the time after my mother and I were separated. I was still on my own in a world that seemed to keep getting bigger and lonelier. Not that it mattered anymore.

With a shaking hand, I shoved the key into the small keyhole, biting my lip slightly. It unlocked easily with a clockwise twist, and when I felt the give of the lock, an unstoppable squeal of glee erupted from my mouth. After that embarrassing little sound that I'd probably regret for the rest of my life, I quickly threw glances all down the hall. No one saw me. Amen.

I pushed my (heehee) door open, and a huge, ugly frown took residence on my face. Even though it was plunged into darkness, the apartment already looked expensive and gorgeous from the three large floor-to-ceiling windows that were on the wall facing the street that illuminated shining floors with moonlight. I glanced to the wall beside me, checking for a light switch of any kind. I ended up locating a dimmer, and cranked it up high to check the place out. The frown grew what could've been considered more of a scowl.

Of course it was all modernized and fancy-looking. The floors were a polished, almost golden wood, changing to black-and-white checkered tiles into the open-concept kitchen. Upon entering, there was a large amount of free space, but then in the middle of the room was a small set of a few steps that led into a dented space where I could already see the entertainment unit and such going. There was short hallway further in that surely led to the bed and bathroom.

Now I was all excited. Even though the walls were a plain eggshell colour, this was my own place, and I could do with it what I wanted. There were boxes piled everywhere, my small couch and loveseat that I picked out with Mary prior to the move standing cushion-less in the indented space. I hoped my bed from the old house was assembled in what would be my room, so I wouldn't have to bother putting it together myself.

I ditched my suitcase and purse on the royal blue couch and tromped down the small hall. There were two doors, one on the left side and one on the right. The one on the left was the bathroom, with a black-tiled walk-in shower, spotless porcelain sink and toilet, and a rimless mirror cabinet hitched on the wall above it. I put my face into my hands and admittedly let out a girlish squeal. I had this place all to myself! I was what could be considered an official adult at the age of eighteen.

To the bedroom! I scuttled across the hall and tore open the other door. Sure enough, it was a small space with the same gold wood floors, but this room had a white wall with spiraling gray designs painted on it. My old IKEA-brand Malm bed was (thankfully) fully assembled, stripped, and snuggled into the crook in the corner, with the queen-size mattress propped up against the wall beside it. Bless the movers for getting my black wood, veneered desk in here, too, smaller boxes piled on it where it stood against the wall. The closet was a fairly good size, and would easily be able to hold the clothes I had shipped over.

For the sake of relaxing, I quickly toppled the mattress onto the black wood veneered bed frame, then collapsed on it with a pleased sigh. I was completely alone, living by my own rules now. I was a tad bit worried about being overloaded with school, work, and rent, but I hoped it would all work out somehow. I had never felt so free before, not having to listen to nurses from the hospital, the old hags at the orphanage, or even my parents. I was even happier to be all alone when I started laughing maniacally on the bed, completely filled with exploding glee.

I heaved myself off the bed and made my way back into the den. Poking my head into the small kitchen, I checked the clock of the pre-installed microwave and saw that it was only seven thirty p.m. I still had plenty of time to unpack and organize until a decent bed time. So I chucked off my coat, revealing the light blue, off-the-shoulder top I just threw on in the airport bathroom, and began unpacking.

I started with the bedroom first, considering that I'd be sleeping there tonight. I wrangled all of my clothes into the closet, chucking my pairs of shoes on the floor inside, and dressed the bed in my blue, black, and white bed spread. All of my papers and laptop were put in and on the desk, and I excitedly rode down the hall on my wheeled computer chair and into the room, giggling like a five-year-old the entire time.

The unpacking continued for hours, earning me a pair of sore arms from all the lifting and tearing boxes open. It got to the point where I had managed to push the couch and love seat to the sides of the in-room box in an L shape and decided it was time for a break. So I looked up the local phone directory on my cell phone and called a pizza place, planning to munch on it for a good half hour and then get back to work.

I called it a day at eleven thirty, tired and completely proud of myself for getting so much done. My bedroom and bathroom were done, now all that was really left was the living room and kitchen. Not that I had a lot of food to put away. I then put "Go grocery shopping" on my mental to-do list, figuring I would have to make do with the minimal cash I had left on me.

After munching on pizza that was way cheesier and greasier than I was used to, I stripped off all of my clothes and just threw on an oversized tee shirt to sleep in. Exhaustion was getting the better of me from the way I just collapsed on my freshly made bed, the duvet fluffing up around me, phone in hand. I stared at the black screen for a moment, rubbing mascara from my eyes, then decided to call my parents, despite the time. I hoped that difference wasn't going to be too bad, since they told me to call them as soon as I settled in. I speed-dialed the number and waited to rings before Mary answered.

"Snooooow," she sobbed into the line, her usually sweet and high-pitched voice torn apart by ragged breathing and cries. "I miss you so much already! How have you settled in? Is everything okay? Do you need anything? We did promise to split the rent fifty-fifty, but if money is an issue-"

"Everything is fine," I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes. "My job is all set for Wednesday, and school starts Monday. How much is the rent here, anyway?"

A moment of silence from the other line. Then a sniffle. "A thousand dollars a month."

My mouth twitched into a frown. "That shouldn't be too bad. So long as I get my salary on time and everything, and didn't they say it'd be about nine bucks an hour when you called them?"

"Yeah. And if you can't make it, don't hesitate to call and ask for anything-"

"It won't be a problem, relax," I chuckled, feeling kind of lonely without her constantly hovering over my shoulder, worrying, supporting. I was really all alone here, and I couldn't trouble them too much. After all, I was an adult. Hmph.

"Did you run into any trouble there so far?" She asked me, probably hinting at my dyrexia and asking me if I got lost.

I was silent for a few beats, reflecting on getting attacked by those guys, that rude Ikuto guy, and the weird man in the lobby. And then I said, "Nothing important."

}{

I jerked awake because of that falling sensation you got in your stomach sometimes, even though you don't remember dreaming. Disoriented for a moment, I blearily glared at my surroundings, then remembered that this was my new room. In my new apartment.

…Heehee.

Last night I had apparently fallen unconscious right after the phone call and discussing visiting days and breaks with Mary. I didn't even bother to crawl under the covers, and I woke up with the phone still in my hand. Sunlight was beaming in through the window in my room, illuminating dancing dust motes and glaring in my eyes. Getting up felt arduous and not worth it, but I had things to do today. So I managed to drag myself out of bed, trudging across the hall into the bathroom and prepping myself to get changed.

One all made up and primped, I threw on dark wash jeans and a white off-shoulder cashmere sweater. I swiped my phone off the bed and tucked it in my back pocket, easy to access, but also easy to misunderstand if I was giving off the impression that I was groping myself. I slid down the hall cheerily in sock feet, happy and sad to be alone. No one would be calling me awake anymore, and I wouldn't wake up to the smell of bacon or pancakes or something that always made my morning. I would have to fend for myself. And right now that meant grabbing some take-out for breakfast.

I grabbed my purse off of the island in the kitchen, checking to make sure I had everything I needed. Map was there (not that it'd really help), keys, wallet, iPod… I didn't think I needed anything else. But as I was shoving my feet into my boots, I didn't even think to grab a coat because I didn't feel cold at all. Not that I ever did.

With one hand on the doorknob, I reached over to my right to crank the light dimmer to nothing. The room still remained fairly light from the sun streaming in through the window wall and balcony, and I smiled at the room behind me. I was free to be myself here, and do whatever I wanted. If I made friends, I could bring them over and we could do whatever. The very thought was very enticing, and I felt very cool for being able to say that I lived on my own.

Smiling to myself, I dug my iPod out of my purse, shoved the earbuds in and chose a song. I tucked it back in, fished my keys out, opened the door and stepped into the bright hallway. There was someone beside me leaving their own apartment as well, and my heart gave a sweetened thump at having my own neighbours. I paid them no mind as I locked the door and plopped my keys back in my purse. As I strolled down the hall to the elevator, I could feel their eyes, whoever they were, on the back of my neck, an incessant tingle that meant I was being stared at. I tried not to glance over at them as I waited for the elevator. But that prove futile when curiosity about who I was living next to now got the best of me. I slid my gaze over to them, and immediately regretted it.

The dark-haired man from last night.

I practically ran into the elevator.

Collapsing against the mirrored wall, I tried to catch my breath that had suddenly rushed out of me the moment I met his alert green gaze. Damn, I was living beside someone who might know my father. Or at least recognized him, since I looked more like him than Mom. The innocent bystanders that had the worst luck by ending up in the same elevator as me had to watch in stunned silence as I let out a tut. Living here just got a lot more complicated.

The elevator ride was tense and uncomfortable, a young mother and son unabashedly boring their eyes into my head. With the blaring volume of my music, there was no doubt in my mind that they could hear the bursting thrums of electric guitar coming from the earbuds in the confined space. All the more reason why I practically stormed out of the elevator and into the lobby when the ride was finally over.

 _How to go about this?_ I wondered idly to myself as I leaned against the glass wall of the towering apartments, staring at the map in my hands, slightly crumpled in the corner from my confused clutch. The school I was supposed to be attending, Seiyo Academy, wasn't a great distance from the apartments, an easy walk. Grumbling to myself, I dug in my purse until I managed to find a pen, then drew a squiggly line that went east from the apartments for what could be five minutes, north for another five, east again for ten, then north one more time for five. A twenty-five minute walk altogether, doable in warmer seasons but a pain in the ass in the winter.

I buried my face in the crinkled map, then tried to guess which direction was east from here. I decided left from where I stood, then set off to test my route and prayed that I didn't get lost again in an unfamiliar city. The dust of snow on the ground had melted overnight, leaving a damp sidewalk that created a wet, crunchy noise as my boots thudded against it. Cars flashed by me with a whoosh of wind, a reminder that I was in a bigger city now, but an emptier one, in a way. Everyone in New Orleans always seemed so upbeat, so enthusiastic and entertaining with their classic, myth-filled voodoo museums, the cafés that practically oozed the smell of beignets. I heaved a sigh as I kept staring down at the map, flicking my head between it and the sidewalk that was filled with people milling by me. Now I knew how girls from small towns felt when they travelled all the way to the big city.

On the five minute mark, I dared a glance to my left, which should've been north from my calculations (not that I trusted them in the slightest). There was indeed a sidewalk leading up towards a slight incline, the honking and busy city leading towards a more residential area filled with cheery townhouses, green grass, and healthy trees. I took that left, my heart pounding over the beating music in a panicked, hopeful way.

Sure enough, after a right and another left, I stumbled towards a building that could've easily been a small castle. It looked like it was made out of some classy white stone, with tall rectangular spires, flourishing gardens, and even a set of large, near eight-meter tall wrought iron gates with intricate and spiral designs. There was a large, metallic sign attached to the wall that surrounded the building's perimeter that read 'Seiyo Academy' in a blunt, bold font, announcing both business and wealth. I couldn't believe this place was a school! The grass was green even despite the cool weather, surely fake and polished, though there were tall trees that looked as if they were trying to claw open the sky and let the angelic choir sing on this academy. If I squinted into the distance, I swore I could see a spherical glass structure that was shaped kind of like a kaleidoscope, with square pieces of glass reflecting light in prisms in every direction. It was like I was standing before hundreds of years of history and hard work, what with the arched windows, glass double doors, cobblestone walkways, and primped and primed gardens that exploded colour in the monochromic fall season, along with the blood red fall leaves.

Well. I didn't know what to think. When Mary and I were looking over the general area of the city, there was more than this academy to choose to attend. There were lesser, not as famous choices, but this one was closer to the apartments than the other one we were considering, Mayosu Academy, where a famous idol was said to attend or something. So Seiyo it was. But now I was beginning to regret that decision. This school looked like it was made for the rich, upper-class folk, and how out of place would I be with my yat dialect, white hair, and purple eyes with icy blue flecks? It wasn't like I was exactly poor, either, but I wouldn't exactly call myself high class. A cold, nervous sweat was breaking out on the back of my neck even as a breeze blew the hair around my face and made my trademark small braid that I always tied in the middle of the mass thump against my back. That was it. The route I planned out had worked, now I was hungry and upset. Time to go.

With pursed lips and a heavy heart, I began making my way back down the hill Seiyo Academy was stationed on top of, towards the townhouses with the friendly-looking gardens and trees swaying in what must've been a cool fall breeze. I scratched the back of my head in frustration, glaring at the map and wondering where I could go to get some food, like a McDonald's or something.

It was no surprise that, while coming down a large hill and glaring at a map with music blaring in my ears, I didn't hear the sound of a ball being kicked very roughly and powerfully. Air go, I also didn't hear a mature guy's voice screech at me to watch out. So when I felt a presence approaching me at an alarming rate, I looked up from the map and turned my head to my right just in time to get a soccer ball smack in the face.

I could feel it crush against my nose and face with a horrible, stinging impact so filled with force that I actually fell backwards, the map coming loose in my hands and headphones flying out of my ears. I lay paralysed for a moment, awestruck at how a ball could have that much force behind it, furious at the kicker, and trying not to scream in pain from my red face and ringing ears. I could hear two pairs of footsteps thundering towards me, and before I knew it, the silhouettes of two teenage guys were standing above me, one's expression increasingly worried and the other's looking like he was trying hard not to laugh.

The one who seemed to find this situation hilarious struck me as what Puck from a  _Midsummer Night's Dream_  could look like if he was real, with wild red hair sticking out in every direction, and light, forest green eyes that had a mischievous glint in them and a prick of tears from holding in laughter. It looked like he was just getting over a tan from his golden skin tone, the muscles of his arms giving me the impression that he was a sports player and total beach boy. The features of his face were pointed and cast curious shadows over his rapidly reddening complexion, and most of my rage was directed at him and his reaction.

On the other hand, the guy beside him seemed like the exact opposite, with gentle features, a worried expression, and light, wispy blonde hair very tidily styled. He was much shorter and leaner than the jerkass dude, his skin paler and not as sun-kissed. His eyes, though, were another story, a deep almost maroon colour with concern written in them like a confession, honest and true. Normally I wouldn't have even blamed him for anything, but at that moment I was humiliated and hurting, so of course my old title from middle school of the "Snow Monster" came back in a fury.

"What tha hell's yer problem?!" I demanded, the yat dialect coming on full force like it always did when I was angry.

"Sorry, sorry," the Puck look-alike snickered, wiping tears from his evil little eyes. "I totally didn't see you there. My bad."

"Are you alright?" The other guy asked in a much gentler voice, actually holding out a hand to help me up. But I was in no mood for taking anyone's kindness or pity, so I completely ignored it and shoved myself off the ground, standing at my full height which was just about the same as his. They both seemed surprised by my full appearance, but I didn't even care as I plucked my map and iPod off the ground and shoved them back in my purse.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" I hissed, face flaming as I glared at the pair of them. "Didn't yer parents ever tell ya not ta play in tha streets?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Come on, it was an accident. I apologized, didn't I?"

I quirked a pale eyebrow in challenge, making him raise his in return. "And ya think that's enough fer compensation?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. What can we do to make it up to you?"

"We?" The other guy asked, looking between us worriedly. I almost felt kind of bad that the redhead was roping him into all of this. Almost.

A smirk twitched its way into existence on my face. "Well, there is something I have in mind."

}{

"Feeling better now?"

I nodded, my mouth filled with a ketchup covered burger. In the end, the whole ball situation ended up working out in my favour, since I was able to convince them into taking me to the nearest fast food joint, which just so happened to be a- what do you know- McDonald's. Considering that it wasn't a huge ordeal, I only got them to get me something small, a burger and root beer. I was already over the entire incident, but I was the type of person to extort free food from someone whenever given the opportunity. I wasn't just going to let it pass by.

"I really am sorry," the redhead said again, less tense now that he could see I was appeased and full. "But I did tell you to look out."

Swallowing the big bite of burger I had been chewing on, I took a large swig of root beer, and the pair of guys honestly looked impressed at my appetite. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin, somewhat ladylike, and said, "I couldn't really hear you, since my headphones were in and music was blasting. It was my fault in a way, as well. So I'm sorry for flipping out like that."

The blondie grinned, an easy, cheerful grin that was hard to come by nowadays. "It doesn't even matter now. Water under the bridge, right? And you're talking normally now."

I took another gulp of my drink to hide the blush that covered my cheeks. "Yeah, uh, I'm from New Orleans. I always get a more noticeable accent when I'm ticked."

"We could see that," the redhead snorted. When I raised my eyebrows at him, he simply flicked his wild hair back with a twitch-like movement of his head and said, "My name's Kukai, by the way. And this one right here is Tadase." He ruffled the blonde's hair, making him colour and bat his hand away.

"My name's Snow," I said with a smile, completely comfortable in their presence now. "I just moved here."

"I can tell," Tadase said, putting an elbow on the polished black table and leaning his chin into his palm. "I haven't seen you around before."

I shrugged. "I just got here yesterday. I'm living in Crystalshire Appartments."

Kukai nodded in approval. "Swanky. We saw you coming from the opposite direction, though. Where were you coming from?"

"The school I'm going to be attending, Seiyo Academy."

I was instantly suspicious of the identical grins that took up their entire faces.

"Know of it?" I asked, right eyebrow quirked.

"We're… familiar," Tadase chuckled, a bright, sunny smile taking residence on his face. Almost imperceptibly, my heart gave a strange little twist, like it was being put through a meat grinder or something. What was that? It must've been an effect from seeing a smile like that, one that was so rare in this rotting world.

"But what brings you all the way here from New Orleans?" Kukai asked with a wide-eyed curious gaze, making his green eyes snap brightly. "That's a long ways away, and you certainly wouldn't have come here alone, did you?"

"Of course I did," I snorted, crossing one leg over the other under the table. "I'm old enough to live by myself."

"And still be in high school?"

"I was held back."

The two guys shared a glance between them, one that was clearly wondering what type of person I really was. It wasn't that hard; I was an open book. I didn't get held back because of delinquency or truancy; I was kept in the hospital for a while after my mother slashed me with a kitchen knife, and then I was put into an orphanage that wouldn't pay for public education. Not that I'd tell them that. Even if I did feel comfortable in the presence of these two strangers, I still didn't know them at all. Declassifying information about my life like that felt kind of iffy.

"Before you go jumping to conclusions," I said sardonically, crossing my arms and leaning back into the bright red booth, "I am not some sort of delinquent."

"We didn't think you were," Tadase said, surprised by my noticing of their brief exchange. "I'm sorry if we gave you the wrong impression." His maroon eyes seemed genuinely filled with apology and regret, giving me that strange twisty feeling again.

Cheeks flushed, I whipped my head away in a show of false bravado. "S'okay. I was just trying to make sure I wasn't giving off a bad impression."

Kukai muttered something under his breath that I caught with my sensitive ears, and it definitely sounded like, "A little late for that." I grinned at him evilly, and he let out a snort.

"But you didn't answer my other question," he continued as if nothing had happened. "Why did you come here?"

My bad habit kicked in then, one that always got me into sticky situations and was part of the reason I was always getting lost: overthinking things. I thought about what to say to them. That I had come searching for my past, making old wounds resurface and trying to heal them completely? Searching for my father, who may or may not be alive? Visiting my mother in the nut house? How could I condense all of the thoughts in my head into one simple answer that didn't reveal too much about myself, but wasn't too rude either?

Once I found my answer, I grinned at the pair of them, happy that I now had an answer to give anyone who asked. "I came to find myself."

Simultaneously, the pairs of their eyes widened and recognition dawned in them, almost like they knew something important about "finding ones' self". Tadase smiled slightly and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then was cut off by this horrid, screeching noise that burst from nowhere. It was like nails on a chalkboard, or maybe metal scraping against metal, but at the same time it also sounded like… a baby's wail. Something filled with a lot of emotions that had to be buried deep.

Tadase's eyes snapped open so much I could see the whites all around his iris. His hand darted down to pat the pocket of his pants, and Kukai looked at him with the most strange expression. "Dude, what's wrong?" He asked, prodding him with his elbow.

Maybe it was fate that my ears were oversensitive, because if they weren't, I wouldn't have been able to hear Tadase's next words that started everything. Very quietly, clearly not meant to be heard by innocent, unsuspecting bystanders, he whispered, "The lock is resonating…"

I cocked my head to one side, trying very hard not to cover my ears. I didn't understand why no one else was wincing from the obscene noise, the wail that kept reverberating off the walls and hitting my ears again and again like divine punishment. "Lock?" I asked.

Tadase looked startled to see me right in front of him, oddly enough. He then began frantically darting from the booth we were sitting in, shocking me to silence. "Sorry, Soma-kun. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Wha- where are you going?" Kukai demanded, clearly surprised at his friend's erratic behaviour.  
"There's someone I need to speak with," was all the strange, kind blonde boy said before bolting from the fast-food restaurant and into the cold streets.

"Is he always like that?" I asked Kukai, who was staring at the door with a slack jaw.

"No," he murmured quietly, his gaze darkening. "He does not."

He flipped his head to stare at me, and the look on his face was completely foreign to me. It was a look of wonder and suspicion wrapped up into one quizzical bundle. "Who are you?" He asked me, and I gave him a look.

"Didn't I say that I came here to find that out?" I responded with an innocent smile, and then I stood from the booth. I hitched my purse over my shoulder and dug in it for a moment, then slapped half of the price of my meal on the table in front of him.

He glanced up at me through fiery eyelashes, his look challenging. "I thought I was treating you for 'compensation'," he recited, his voice mocking.

"It was partly my fault," I explained with a wink. "Therefore, I pay half. Later." I stepped away from the shining black table, past all of the other families and couples chattering away without a care in the world or a clue of how much my life had changed in the course of a heartbeat.

}{

I got quite the surprise once I stepped into the glass doors of Crystalshire Apartments: there, in my unit mailbox, was a rectangular packing in crinkling parchment sticking out of it. For a moment, I thought it might've been for the previous tenant that was living in my unit, but upon closer inspection, it had the words "Snow Camellia Hisayuki" printed on it in bold, black lettering. So, with a slight shrug to no one in particular, I stuffed it under my armpit and made my way back up to my apartment.

Once the door was unlocked and I quickly surveyed the hallway to check for the dark-haired creep, I stepped in my apartment with a huge, goofy grin on my face. It was kind of lonely entering and not hearing someone call "Welcome home", but it was fulfilling at the same time.

I quickly kicked my boots of and rushed into the kitchen to grab some scissors. I sliced through the brown packaging with a series of  _snips_ , and was eventually able to uncover the ornate white box underneath with gold spiralling patterns along the sides. Clearly printed in blatant lettering at the top of the box was the insignia of Seiyo Academy, a lion wearing a crown (oddly enough). Oh boy.

Shifting my weight on to my right hip, I pursed my lips and pondered what could be inside. With a shrug to myself, I flung the lid off the box to discover a red, black, and white uniform folded and pressed neatly inside, with a student guidebook lying on top, which was way too thick for my liking. I wondered how they knew my new address, considering that I just moved in last night. Then I brushed it aside, assuming that Mary had already known my unit number before I left and told the school to send the package here.

I took the thick guidebook out and laid it on the marble island, putting it off to read later. Then I took out the uniform to discover a simple white blouse, a black jacket with the insignia above where my heart would go, a crimson tie, and a black and red plaid skirt to make it all blend together. Not awful as far as school uniforms went. Only when I shook out the shirt did I hear a flapping noise of paper falling to the ground.

Curiously, I gently laid the blouse on the counter and bent down to pick up the small, rectangular piece of paper that had floated to the ground. A card addressed to me, according to my name written on the front in handwriting that could almost be considered calligraphy. I flipped it to the back to discover a note of the same countenance and authority, and began to read.

_Snow Camellia Hisayuki;_

_We are very pleased to hear that you will be attending our academy. Please wear the enclosed uniform on the day of your arrival and all school days thereafter. The following guidebook is the rules of our school which must be obeyed to the letter. It will explain all you need to know of our… "strange" system here at Seiyo._

_We have high expectations for you, Miss Hisayuki, since you were enrolled on a scholarship for outstanding grades and talent. We also think that this place will be good for you, considering your extenuating circumstances. We hope you find what you're looking for._

_-The Headmaster Of Seiyo Academy_

What the- that was one of the most strange and prophetic things I had ever read! This "Headmaster" already seemed to know a lot about me, putting me on edge and considering discarding the note completely. But then I noticed one piece of writing on the bottom that I had almost missed. One that I maybe should've paid more mind to.

_P.S. Beware of black cats._


	4. Where She Belongs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow begins her first day at Seiyo Academy, and notices a few familiar faces. Despite knowing some of the people there, she begins to feel more estranged than ever when she realizes how different she is from everyone else attending. Just as this crosses her mind, something completely magical happens that makes her similar to her new comrades more than she ever thought possible.

**Chapter III**

**_Where She Belongs_ **

_Don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint…_

I repeated those two simple words in my head over and over again, a mantra to try and make my legs stop shaking as I made my way up the north slope to get to Seiyo Academy. That morning, I sat up in bed, and nearly collapsed again from nervousness, shyness, and nausea that swam through my head and chest, drowning me in emotions that I was horrified of facing. A new school. With people I didn't know, and who didn't know me. What if I got made fun of? What if I made no friends? That seemed to be the basic recurring issue for me, since I had issues with being all alone.

Considering that the mantra was doing absolutely nothing to help my vision stop swimming, I decided to go over the school's peculiar system I read up on last night one more time. Instead of a student council, they had this fancy little group called "The Guardians". Their duties were implied with the name; defending and protecting the student body from any threats of prosecution, settling down skirmishes between the rival academy, and working to change the rules within the students' favour. They had four positions instead of president, vice president, and so on: the King, Queen, Jack, and Ace. I wasn't going to bother pondering over the card references, since this school was just a big, mushed up ball of whack.

Versus my old, apparently completely boring high school in Louisiana, this school had a huge event pretty much every month. For example, for this month of October, they had an athletic festival, basically a week of sports that permitted students to miss classes and just do all-day physical education. While having straight As at any other school, gym was by far my best subject, so this seemed very promising to me. I could run fast, I could jump high, I could spike volleyballs like a champ. My activeness was a complete mystery when you took a look at my diet, which basically comprised of fast-food and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Hooray for favourable metabolisms.

Thinking about food did something to ease my bumpy, restless mind, which gave me the opportunity to straighten my back and walk with purpose. I saw teenagers milling around me, wearing the exact uniform I was, but only with light coats over it. I, on the other hand, just opted for a long, violet scarf, since I was attempting to "fit in", but a coat wasn't really a necessity. Since being immune to the cold was apparently not normal.

However, I still caught the gazes of some students, males and females alike. Their gazes were snapping with curiosity, almost like whips that just kept coming to strike me. I could see them eyeing my white hair, probably assuming that it was dyed and I was just weird, when in reality it was just my very young father's odd, hereditary shade. I had it in its usual style, two braids at the side of my head that tied into one large braid at the back and keeping the rest down and flowing. Even at my old schools, and then the orphanage, I had been teased and mocked because I had "old lady hair", and I honestly didn't expect this place to be any different. So I just had to puff out my chest and put on a cool, ice-coloured mask that prevented people from seeing how much I was wavering on the inside.

That's the way it always was. Pretending I was someone else, and that I was indifferent to my surroundings. Always being polite and respectful, except for when something pushes me over the edge and my mind just goes blank. Before I knew it, crafting this oh-so-wonderful façade of mine had become a habit. I couldn't live without it anymore. Sometimes I really wished that I could show my true colours to everyone, but that hadn't really worked for the first five years of my life, especially when my "true self" got repeatedly sliced and diced by my own mother. What a lovely childhood I had.

I pulled my scarf further up to cover my chin and mouth, moving to shove my hands in my pockets, and letting them fall slack to my sides awkwardly upon realizing that I didn't have any. Maybe things would be different this time around. Maybe I wouldn't have to foolishly act like everyone was my enemy. But even if it wasn't, it would still be good training.

Considering that, when I was ready, I was going to visit my mother for the first time in thirteen years.

Now instead of focusing on trying not to faint, I was trying to pump myself up.  _You can do this, Snow. You can make a life here on your own, and you can do it without beating anyone at your school up. Pretend that your history of violence doesn't even exist. That your accent is so cool and people are jealous of it._  This all would've worked out pretty well if I wasn't nodding and shaking my head to myself while all the other students were watching, and already I could feel people's gazes training on me like I belonged with my mother in an asylum. I coughed aloud awkwardly, and just hung my head.

"Hisayuki-san?" I heard a light, male voice say behind me, and it was like my entire day brightened. Was it God? Had He come to spare me from any more self-induced humiliation?!

I whirled around to see the blonde boy from yesterday, Tadase-kun, waving cheerfully with a comforting grin on his face. So that's why he and Kukai-kun had little smiles on their faces when I brought up that I was going to be attending Seiyo Academy; this was  _their_ school. I already had an acquaintance! Now I just had to make sure that I didn't make him hate me, and I would be good. Tadase-kun seemed like a perfectly nice and pleasant guy to be around, minus the little "Lock" thing from yesterday.

"Good morning," I said with a smile as he caught up to me, shoving down me rapidly beating heart that was practically screaming "FRIEND FRIEND FRIEND BE MY FRIEND". I could be cool about this. Smooth. "So, uh, you and Kukai-kun-kun attend this school, huh? You should've said something."

His expression turned from welcoming to a bit bashful. "Yes, well, I would've, but then I had to leave very suddenly. I'm very sorry for suddenly ditching you both like that."

 _Aww, he's so nice._  "Really, it was no trouble at all," I sang while waving my hand dismissively, happy to be familiar with someone. "I'm sorry that I overreacted in the first place."

"This might seem like an odd question, Hisayuki-san, but have you been experiencing anything… strange, lately?" Normally I would've laughed the question off by stating that my life was always strange, but he seemed so serious about the inquiry that I was left groping for an appropriate response.

"Strange?" I repeated, and he nodded, his maroon eyes severe. "What do you mean by strange?"

"Like…" He stopped talking to ponder over the question, thoughtfully holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Any  _shifty_  characters hanging around? Asking you about… um, this is going to sound completely crazy, but… asking you about eggs?"

I stared at him in utter shock. What… the hell was he talking about? Eggs? Like,  _poultry_? He was right, that did sound completely crazy. I shook my head while giving him the most wigged-out look, asking, "Um, should I be?"

"Ah, no, no, just forget I said anything." He began chuckling, though from the way his eyebrows were slightly drawn down, I could tell he was nervous about something. "If you haven't, then it's fine. It's good."

Well, he was a bit odd. I let my gaze stray away from his gentle face that was now ridden with worry, and suddenly noticed that the students around us (namely females) were glaring at me. What was with that? I wasn't making enemies  _already,_  was I? But I wasn't even doing anything! I was just walking with-

… _Ohhhhhhh._

I understood what was going on with a crashing wave of realization. Tadase-kun was popular. Like, really popular. It seemed that everyone milling around us had stopped their chattering to steal a glance at him as soon as he entered their field of vision. Go figure. I mean, a guy with his looks and golden personality wouldn't go unnoticed anywhere, let alone high school. But did that give people any right to glare at me for simply walking beside him? Nuh-uh, I didn't think so.

Nonetheless, I heaved a sigh and dealt with it. I had been on the receiving end for strange glares for most of my life. And now I was feeling more insignificant beside this gentle guy, like his popularity was a hulking demon looming over me to mock and curse me until the end of days.

"Is something the matter?" He asked me, cocking his head to one side curiously, almost like a puppy with inquisitive eyes.

"Of course not," I laughed dismissively, shaking my head. "It's just… a new school and everything, you know? And I'm living on my own now, so things may get a bit tough at times." Before I turned to look at him, because I knew there was bound to be a pitying look in his gaze, I looked up at the sky, a crystalline blue that seemed so fragile compared to the masses of white clouds floating around everywhere. "But I know that things will work out. If I have a positive attitude, things will be positive, right?"

I did look at him then, and saw that he was smiling just like the sun beating down on us from the breakable sky. "Of course. That's a good way to look at things."

Surprisingly enough, a slight flush coloured my cheeks. I had to look away. He really was kind of cute. He was only just a bit taller than me, but I didn't care about things like that. Almost imperceptibly, I slid my gaze to the side just a tad to find him staring at my hair as a breeze blew through it. I automatically tucked that irritating cowlick in my bangs that I could never be rid of behind my ear, embarrassed about not being normal while surrounded by all these students. I needed something to look at so I wouldn't be embarrassed. I let my gaze travel up from my white hair to find that we had reached the gate of the school, in all its tall, twisted iron glory.

For a moment, I felt relieved because the walk was over and I didn't have to stand beside the vicious force that was popularity, but that quickly disappeared when I realized that  _the walk was over._ Now I really would have to face my first day of school.  _Get over it, Snow,_ I told myself firmly in my mind for what felt like the thousandth time.  _You're eighteen now. You should be older than most of the kids here. They have no reason to threaten or scare you. You've been through worse. Oh never mind you're lying to yourself THIS IS GOING TO GO HORRIBLY._

I sucked at hyping myself up.

"Well, I have somewhere to be before classes begin," Tadase-kun told me, almost apologetically. "Good luck with your first day."

"Thanks," I said with a smile and slight wave, using up all the strength I had for that mask of false bravado.

When in reality, I was trying my very hardest not to break down into nervous tears.

}{

_I hate my teacher._

To be honest, I didn't even know my new teacher's name. But what I hated about her, and her completely fake smiling disposition, was that she was making me stand in front of the entire class and introduce myself. Didn't she understand that all my nerves were blown to smithereens and that I could go into a hysterical fit at any moment? Well, I may have been overreacting, but from the pace of my pounding heart, that is certainly what it felt like.

Every one of the students in my class (and my eyes counted a total of twenty-five) was staring at me and my hair, and my height, and everything else about me because it was all  _wrong._  People were dumb, with their stupid standards and expectations… I realized I was getting way ahead of myself and acting like the world was ending when all I had to do was say my name, and then a friendly greeting.

But my teeth were unconsciously grinding together. It would take physical effort to force the words out of me. So I nearly pushed myself into saying, "Snow Hisayuki." And then, I lifted my head from quivering and accidentally glared at everyone watching me, including the teacher. "Hi."

_I deserve to go to Hell._

My walk was one of shame as I strolled down the rows of desks, people looking at me with almost amused gazes and others seeming offended. My designated seat was at the very back, next to an open window that let in the smell of crisp, fall air. Just as I was about to sit down, I caught the gaze of a girl who sat diagonally in front of me. Her posture was very straight and pristine as she sat in her red plastic chair, her near-gold eyes looking at me curiously. Her hair, the colour of black ink, was tied into a high ponytail that spilled over her shoulders in a waterfall of black. She smiled at me, a simple stretch of her pink lips, and I was luckily able to return the gesture (albeit shakily).

As was expected of school, the English lesson droned on and on. Nonetheless, I was determined to keep my high grade average, so I still paid attention while the teacher spoke and even took notes in a purple bound book I had gotten before leaving New Orleans. Every now and again, when I had finished copying down things before everyone else, I would let my gaze stray out of the window to a large, spacious courtyard. There were flower gardens blooming blossoms of autumn, like roses, and the thick statues called trees were exploding in the colours of a blazing sunset. It made me want to draw. Or write. Or even compose lyrics. But I couldn't lose focus, especially not on my first day.

A breeze blew in just then, stirring my white hair around my shoulders and enveloping me in the luscious scent of my coconut shampoo. That brightened my mood a little, and it was even more so when no students were turning around to gossip about me or even mock me. But, strangely enough, that pale, dark-haired girl's gaze would stray back to me every now and again, and she almost seemed… expectant.

This place was as strange as that note from the Headmaster.

I made it through second period, which was my elective course of art, without any problems. Though no one came to speak to me, and I was left with a seat in the corner to "draw what I felt", I was content. Art was a class I liked, where I could express myself with the smooth strokes of an ink pen or even a pencil. I drew an estranged mixed of things that made me happy to lighten my mood, like flowers, fireworks, and musical notes. The teacher didn't make me introduce myself. That meant she wasn't getting a special, very crude page of mocking drawings in my sketch book. Kudos to her.

And then finally, lunch came. I bought pizza from the cafeteria and the complimenting drink of chocolate milk when I realized that I had no one to sit with. Wow, my social life was sucking so far. I was about to call it a quits and go find myself a lone tree in the courtyard when I felt a tap on my shoulder as I was exiting the building.

I whirled around, straw stuck between my lips and sipping at my chocolaty beverage, and saw Tadase-kun standing there, smiling like he had found the person he'd always been looking for. And there was almost a large whipping sound as every pair of eyes in the foyer turned to look at us.

"Hello, Hisayuki-san," he greeted me cheerily, and I raised my pizza hand in greeting as I kept sipping. "How has your first day been going?"

 _Well, Tadase-kun, since I'm too socially awkward to actually talk to anyone…_ I internally rolled my eyes at my self-contempt and let go of the straw between my teeth. "It's been pretty good so far. I guess having a positive outlook worked." Even though I meant to state that, it came out more like a question.

He nodded, that ever-cheerful smile still beaming on his face. I wondered if his muscles ever grew tired. "That's great. Well, since it's your first day and all, I was wondering if you'd like a tour of the school grounds?"

My straw nearly stabbed my eye since I was so surprised at his sudden proposition that my body physically tensed while the milk was on the way to my mouth. Why would I be so surprised? Oh yeah, it's because Tadase-kun happened to stroll by my art room while on the way to the bathroom or something, I don't know, and things got a lot louder. The girls were yelling out his name and giggling, guys were bolting out and "fist-pumping" or whatever gesture the kids these days are doing now. Tadase-kun was popular, and that much was so clear that it was nearly blinding. And yet he was offering to give me a tour, the person who just nearly stabbed her eye with a straw. Should I have gotten on my knees or something and started bowing? Nah, that would've been taking it a bit too far…

"Hisayuki-san?" Tadase-kun was suddenly right in front of me, looking at me under his golden eyelashes that caught the light of the hallway and made it glimmer. He must've been calling me for a while, and I got wound up in my own thoughts again. My dyrexia is so terrible that I'm getting lost in my own mind.

"Sorry, sorry," I laughed, my eyebrows slashing down in a bit of embarrassment. "Yes, I mean, I'd love a tour! Thanks for offering."

Tadase-kun and I left the main building, and I tried to ignore the daggers of other students I felt stabbing into my back. Well, sorry, people, but he offered. As we walked all around the school during the hour-long lunch break, Tadase-kun rattled off facts about the buildings' history and uses while I munched on my pizza and tried not to look bored. The school itself was actually a renovated church that was taken over by more of a cult than a religion that worshipped the fact that each person has a "guardian angel", and they wanted to somehow summon those make-believe figments and use them for their own purposes and goals. They were quickly shooed out when the authorities discovered that they were kidnapping children because they had "unclouded eyes" that could see such creatures, and many years later, the current Headmaster of the academy bought the place no one went near out and changed it into a school. He remodeled the main building and later added more, like the state-of-the-art gym and library, but there were still some buildings that weren't being used and were off-limits.

That seemed like a classic set-up for things to go horribly wrong.

About half-way through, we came across the 'Royal Garden', a large greenhouse carved out of pentagonal pieces of glass where the Guardians had their meetings and, apparently, tea. And Tadase-kun even elaborated on their jobs, which made me wonder why he knew so much about them. Their job was not only to look out for the student body and fight for their rights, but also to maintain the school grounds and greenhouse, and mainly keep people from entering the old buildings because of the flimsy, old architecture that could collapse any day.

And then I started to crave ketchup chips.

I was about to say thanks and that I didn't need any further guidance (a total lie) when Tadase-kun's head perked up like he heard something. I cocked my head to the right to see if I could see what he could, and saw three people coming towards us. The dark-haired girl from my English class, the red-head from yesterday, Kukai-kun-kun, and then a very petite and thin girl with sunny skin, bright orange hair done up in twin pigtails with red ribbons, and large, brown doe-eyes.

"Tadase!" Kukai-kun called, a large grin on his angular face as he waved like a maniac. The girls beside him covered their eyes slightly and waved a little in return.

"Hello, everyone," Tadase-kun sang, and I caught a look on his face that I had never been on the receiving end of in my entire life. He looked like he was ecstatic to see these people, like they the people who lit up his world.

The students around us seemed restless from the way they were gasping and whispering. Only when I perked my ears a bit more than usual as the group of three were rapidly approaching did I hear what they were saying. Male and female people alike were whispering to each other, "It's the Guardians!"

I took a deep breath and held it.

Then, very slowly, I let it out as I sped away. Now I understood why Tadase-kun was so popular, why he knew so much about the Guardians, the school in general. He was part of the Guardians, along with Kukai-kun and the pretty pale girl who highly resembled an Asian doll. I guess it was kind of pompous of me to just obliviously take his offer and spend lunch with him. He probably had things to do and many people to see. Those were the people he belonged with. It was stupid of me to think we could be friends.

I felt a gaze pelt my back almost guiltily, and heard Tadase-kun call out the very formal version of my name. I didn't turn back, even though I wasn't running. I would make my own friends, with people that were around the same standing as me. It would be okay.

I couldn't be alone forever.

}{

Tuesday and Wednesday passed by in an educational blur. I had a small quiz in English that I got near-perfect on, minus small misconceptions. My art teacher seemed amazed at my talent for being so young. The same went for my home economics and Science teachers. I managed to gather the nerve to converse with some classmates, and they were surprisingly not as evil as I had originally perceived. In fact, they told me that they thought I just liked to be alone, and wanted to talk to me all along. We laughed about it, though it seemed to resound in a sort of emptiness.

I didn't speak to Tadase-kun nor Kukai-kun again. I couldn't risk the normal life that I was steadily beginning to build. I called Mary each night, and she gushed over how much everyone missed me, and I returned her sentiments. Somehow it felt like I was just living life because I could. I wasn't making any progress with 'finding myself', or with gathering the courage to call the asylum and ask to schedule an appointment to talk to my mother. Was moving here useless, even after just five days? Would anything change?

Things began to on my first night of work, when we met again.

The work at East Side was busy, as expected. I was zooming here and there, hurrying to scrawl orders on a small notepad and give them to the cooks. The smells of pasta, tomatoes, and alcohol were permanently imprinted in my nose all night, from five until nine p.m. But I worked hard. I didn't want to disappoint the manager, especially with the way she was scrutinizing me while I was zooming around, my ponytail of melted titanium flying behind me the entire time. When I had a moment to breathe at one point, I dug my cell phone out of my back pocket and checked the time. It was six thirty. I still had a lot to go.

The friendly hostess from the first time I arrived here, Louise, sauntered up to me with a friendly smile. "You don't need to work so hard," she said comfortingly, reaching out to put a warm hand on my shoulder. "It's only your first night. Take it easy. Here, I just got a group of kids about your age at the booth near the front doors. They shouldn't be too much trouble."

I smiled at her, genuinely happy to have a nice girl working with me. Maybe we could be friends. But then again, I barely knew a thing about her. I shook my head before I got lost in my thoughts again, and said, "Thanks. I'll get right to it."

As I made my way across the aged wooden floors, surrounding by strange paintings of generations of managers and chickens, I saw the manager peering at me from her office. I pretended not to notice, and muttered "Badda bing" to myself with an eye roll.

I stopped my stride at the booth right next to the front doors, a group of four teenagers sitting comfortably and muttering about their menu choices. Their forms were reflected in the window, two girls and two guys. I plastered on my best server's smile, whipped out my notepad and pen, and rattled off in a monotone, "Welcome to East Side Mario's. My name is Snow, and I'll be your server this evening. Would you like to start off with something to drink?"

The girls recited their orders off to me, a bit snootily as they took in my hair and height. I waited for the guys' somewhat impatiently when I caught one of their gazes, the one sitting in the very corner like a shadow. I was met with deep eyes roiling like the seas, and they widened the same time mine did.

"Ikuto?" I breathed, and I could barely hear him whisper my name in return. The girl sitting beside him threw glances between us, then turned to him, her blonde hair whipping back to smack my arm.

"You know this girl?" She asked him. He let his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, his countenance bored and uncaring once again. But I caught a glimmer of something in his eye- interest? Amusement?- before he let his eyes fall back onto his menu, biting back a slight smirk. He looked even more attractive now that I could see him in full light, the golden chandeliers throwing beams off of his dark hair like moonlight reflecting off dark water. I could see he was wearing a V-neck shirt that ran to his elbows and generously emphasized his form, and I honestly flushed a little before looking away.

"Your drinks?" I asked again, and I was satisfied to note that my voice didn't waver or tremble at all. The other guy opposite Ikuto clearly stated that he wanted a coke, but I was still waiting on the irritating guy in the corner who was clearly enjoying making me stand there and suffer.

"How do you know Ikuto?" The girl sitting next to him asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "He rarely speaks to girls. Why would he talk to someone like you?"

I simply shrugged at her while continuing to wait for his order, smugly making a mental note that he didn't really talk to girls. What, was he shy or something? Did he think he was too good and attractive for any girl to even think of speaking to him? What a douchebag.

"I mean, look at you," the little blonde continued, gesturing to my form and getting the other girl's nod of agreement. "Your hair's white, weirdo. And you're freakishly tall. What did you do to get him to speak with you, hmm? It took us quite a while to even get him to come here with us tonight." She was speaking of the rest of the group, who made noncommittal gestures of agreement.

 _How is she not embarrassed to say all this out loud?_ I wondered, tapping my pen against my notepad lightly. I was pretending that her words didn't sting, not to get a reaction but to keep myself from going crazy again and starting a fight, and effectively losing my new job. I knew I was weird and different from everyone, but to have it so bluntly said still hurt a little. But it was pointless to let people like that get to me. From the sounds of it, she was just jealous that I didn't blackmail Ikuto or something to get him to talk to me when she clearly went to a lot of work.

"What's with that look?" The girl demanded of me, and I snapped out of my trance-like tapping. I hadn't realized I was giving her any look. "What right do you have to glare at me like that? I'm just pointing out what's obvious. You clearly had to use your body or whatever to get him to even consider talk-"

A loud slam next to the girl caused her to cut off halfway and flinch. Ikuto had courteously slammed his menu on the table and stood from his seat, making a big show with no signs of any expression. I was probably the most surprised of all, considering that he… may have very well done that for my behalf. Or maybe he just wanted that girl to shut the hell up. Either way, he spared my from any further chirping, and I was both shocked and grateful.

"Nothing to drink for me," he said, even though it was quite obvious that he was done. "Can you move?" The girl that had been snapping previously mutely nodded, a befuddled and abashed expression on her face. She quickly scrambled out of the booth while Ikuto smoothly slid out and headed for the doors. The rest of the group didn't follow.

The other customers were munching and chatting away, to enveloped in their own business to have witnessed what had just happened. So I quickly ran out the doors to catch Ikuto before he left, and was mortified to see that a light rain was hissing down and splattering against the sidewalk, meaning I'd be wet walking home.

Ikuto had thrown on a black hoodie and was pulling his hood up, striding away from me with an almost predatory grace. I didn't bother to shield myself from the drizzle, and called out, "Wait!" To him. He turned slightly, enough for me to see the glint of his snapping blue eyes under the hood.

I had to make it quick; I didn't want to keep him standing around in the rain, especially since he probably wanted to just head home. So I jogged up to him and let my words rush out of me like rapid gunfire. "Thank you for what you did just now."

He simply shrugged again. "She was just annoying me. Girls are so irritating." He continued to grumble to himself slightly, rolling his eyes and shoving his pale hands into his pockets. Entranced, I watched as drops of rain rolled down his hard, grumpy features, getting stuck in his long eyelashes and running into his mouth.

 _Oh dear God, stop staring._ I quickly gathered my wits and continued. "Even so, thank you. Also, I… I want you to know that I don't think you're that type of person."

From the way he snapped his curious gaze to me, I could tell I had his attention. "What?"

I lifted one shoulder slightly, embarrassed to even bring it up. "I mean, you know… to only talk to someone if you get something out of it, like, uh, their body. I mean, you saved me in that alleyway when I clearly had nothing to offer in return. So, um… ugh, I'm not good with words. I just wanted to say thank you and that I don't think you're that bad of a guy."

Before I could even catch my breath, he was suddenly dangerously close to me, casting a dark shadow on me and letting the cowl of his hood cover his eyes slightly. Without doing it consciously, I ended up holding my breath. "You know nothing about me," he breathed, his breath stirring my bangs. "You shouldn't make assumptions about a total stranger."

I tried to shove down my feelings of slight fear and barged on, looking straight up into his eyes. They were cold and unfeeling, yet I saw something deep inside of them, almost like… sadness. "Even so, I can tell. I'm a good judge of character, you know."

He snorted. "Says the girl who asked some guys who were obviously up to no good for directions."

"Shut up. That was one time. Anyway, thank you, goodbye, get lost." I turned around, embarrassed to even look at him after forcibly remembering being saved and indebted to him. I was about to re-enter the restaurant and get back to work when he called out, "Snow."

 _Ugh, why is he calling me so familiarly?_ I slowly turned on my heel to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

To my surprise, he used his index finger to point to a space directly above his shoulder, his expression carefully neutral. "Can you see anything here?" He asked, throwing me for a loop.

"Um… no?" I guessed, floored with the question. Should I be seeing something? Weird things were beginning to happen all around me.

"Not yet, then," he mumbled, almost to himself. He turned on the irritating smirk and swiveled around, starting his long, rain-ridden trek. "I'll be seeing you soon."

…Why did he always leave with such cryptic words? Man, he was strange. With a shrug to myself, I pulled open the doors to ask Louise to go serve his friends and get to another table.

}{

The worst thing that could've ever happened on my first week of school occurred the next day: I woke up late.

I barely even had time to get my uniform on, let alone put my hair in its usual style. So I settled for raking it into a high, somewhat messy ponytail, threw on some flats, and bolted out of the door, locking it as quickly as I could. I was just about to make a beeline to the elevator when I ran smack into someone as I turned around.

"Sorry," I said quickly, looking up to see…  _Oh great._ The dark-haired creep. He was staring down at me in surprise, his bangs hanging across his face like the feathers of a raven. I tried stepping around him, but he followed and blocked my way. I was so freaked out and worrying about being late for school that I couldn't even muster up the strength to glare at him.

"Excuse me," he said, and I was surprised to heart that his voice was soothing and gentle, almost like a father's. "I seem to have made a bad impression the other day, and I apologize. May I please have your name?"

Impatiently, I began tapping my foot against the floor, the sound slightly muffled by the carpet. I wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead stared at the vase of elaborate flowers just down the hall. "My name is Snow."

"A pleasure," he murmured, and I did look at him then, only to see a gentle and warm smile spread across his angular and somewhat mean-looking face. I almost felt guilty for thinking that he was a total creep, but I was not in the mood to be regretting how I treated him earlier. "My name is Lee, and I do believe that we're going to be neighbours from now on. I hope we can get along."

I scratched my head nervously, making my already mussed hair come even more undone. "Yeah, so do I. I'm sorry, but I really have somewhere to be."

He assessed my appearance, taking in the uniform and messenger bag. "School?" He guessed. I nodded hurriedly. "In that case, please let me give you a ride, Miss Snow."

'Miss Snow'? Maybe this guy really was weird. I lifted one shoulder self-consciously and said, "I don't know. I really don't want to trouble you…"

"Please, I insist," he said, a pure and innocent smile on his face. I assessed him carefully, noting that his dark hair was so long that he actually had to tie it into a ponytail that cascaded down his back. He was wearing completely casual clothes, a loose-fitting white button-down shirt and blue jeans. He didn't look that old, now that I got a good look at him. And I didn't feel anything suspicious coming off of him. So, very slowly, I nodded in acceptance, and then we were going down in the elevator and making our way across the parking lot to his car, which was a sleek, black model that surely meant money.

The sun was beating down mercilessly today, making me highly uncomfortable, even as I climbed into the new-smelling, leather interior of Lee's vehicle. I had always disliked the heat, normally staying inside when the torturous summers of Louisiana rolled around. Seeming to notice my discomfort, Lee cranked the air conditioning, not that it'd help since I didn't feel any cooler. He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the weather as well, brushing the long bangs out of his eyes as he put the gear shift into Drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

The car ride was lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence, a cheerful smile on his face as he carefully executed turns as quickly as possible. My leg was bouncing up and down with impatience, not wanting to get a tardy slip- or even detention- just when I had started school. Lee pushed lightly on the acceleration petal, like sensing my need for speed. I wondered why he offered a complete stranger like me a ride to school. Hopefully he didn't turn out to be some creep after all. But honestly, I was desperate to make it on time, and he didn't seem like he had any ulterior motives. So I accepted the offer, and was now stuck dealing with sitting in a car with a complete stranger.

Not that he seemed to mind. He seemed almost happy with my company, always smiling to himself as he kept his eyes on the road and sped up the hill leading to Seiyo Academy. I quickly checked the time that was blinking on his car's radio. I still had a bit of time to make it. I nearly collapsed back in the seat with relief. He had really helped me out, even if he did it for no reason.

He pulled up to the gates of the school, where some almost-late students like me were rushing inside before they closed. I quickly leapt from the car and shut the door carefully, skirting around it to make a break for the gates. But before I did, I peaked in his open window, meeting his two jade eyes. "Thanks," I said, smiling at him as politely as I could. "I really owe you one."

Then I ran as fast as I could up to the marble steps leading to the school, feeling the tingle of his stare on my back even as the doors closed behind me.

Thanks to Lee, I made it to my homeroom just in the nick of time. I collapsed in my desk, letting my bag flop on the floor beside me. I caught the gazes of some people, most likely wondering why I was panting like a pig in the summertime. I tried my best to ignore them, and no one bothered to come up to me and ask what was wrong. But the Asian doll-like girl from the Guardians, a girl named Nadeshiko Fujisaki, was staring at me again, and when our gazes met, she surprised me by letting a small smile slip onto her lips. Before I could stop myself, I returned it with a grin of my own, then quickly reminded myself of my place and started pulling my materials from my bag.

Classes passed by in a blur, just boring conversation on  _To Kill A Mockingbird_ in English and studying art History in the subject. Lunch came before I even knew it, and I had planned on just getting a burger or something from the cafeteria, but I never got the chance. Because as soon as I left my art classroom on the second floor of the school, both of my arms were suddenly locked in two strong grips.

Completely shocked and abashed, I threw quick glances to my left and right, only to see Nadeshiko Fujisaki and Kukai Souma gripping my arms like I was their prey that they weren't letting escape no matter what. They both smiled at me, and while Nadeshiko-san's smile was somewhat comforting, Kukai-kun's was filled with mischief and scheming. Before I could even protest, they began forcibly dragging me down the hall, catching the attention of almost every student we passed.

"What are ya doing?!" I demanded, the anger in surprise bubbling up in me forcing out the major accent. "Lemme go!"

"Nuh-uh," Kukai-kun chuckled, an evil glint sparkling in his eyes like a villain. "Not until we get where we want you to go."

"I beg yer pardon? Where are ya taking me?!" Neither one of them responded, and I couldn't speak anymore from getting jarred up and down while being dragged down the stairs. How on earth could they hold me up, anyway? These two were a force to be feared.

I steamed my own broccoli in silence as they dragged me across the school grounds, out the back doors, around the old, dilapidated buildings, and right in front of the towering, sparkling Royal Garden. As soon as I saw it, I began to furiously struggle again, but that only caused both of their grips to tighten. I got that Kukai-kun was strong, from the way some girls gushed about him being the king of sports or something, but why the hell was Nadeshiko-san so damned strong? Her grip was like that of a man's! I couldn't even escape as they backed into the Royal Garden's tall glass doors, dragging me behind them.

As soon as we were inside, my senses were assaulted by a kaleidoscope of colours and smells. Sunlight was reflecting off of the spherical glass building, casting prisms across the small, man-made river running through the center of the building. Flowers were exploding with colour everywhere I looked, small little fireworks of nature bursting across the dark, lush grass. There were even some butterflies flitting about in the seemingly magical place, giving it life and wonder in the melancholy fall season. I could hear idle chatter coming from an ornate, white wooden gazebo straight ahead, and the trickling of the small stream water running throughout the place. I was dragged across a cute cobblestone bridge in shocked silence, stunned by the glamour of my surroundings. How did it stay this beautiful? Damn, these kids were probably living it up.

The chatter coming from the gazebo was the work of Tadase-kun, and the other, small girl I saw with the Guardians the other day. Her voice was very high-pitched and childish, the kind you can picture smacking bubble-gum with. They glanced over at me and my kidnappers at our approach, and Tadase-kun stood from his fancy-ass garden chair in one suave motion.

"Welcome to the Royal Garden, Hisayuki-san," he said to me, only earning a grunt and a glare for a response. His kind, welcoming expression turned slightly remorseful. "I'm so sorry for the force used to bring you here; it was just very hard to speak with you when you were avoiding us."

"I wasn't really-" I cut myself off at the sound of my heavy accent, cleared my throat, and tried again. "I wasn't really avoiding you."

"Liar!" Said the small girl, her pigtails and red ribbons bouncing as she bolted up from her seat and pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. "We've been trying to catch your attention all week! You've definitely been avoiding us!"

I shrugged my shoulders, a difficult feat when both of my arms were being held in vise-like grips. "Fine, so what if I was? It's not like I'd be of any interest to you, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Kukai-kun demanded from beside me, letting my right arm out of his grasp. Nadeshiko-san followed suit, and I rubbed both tenderly. They easily climbed the small steps to the gazebo to stand next to their fellow Guardians, and seeing all four of them in a place like this was a sight to commend, indeed. "Of course you're of interest to us. You used to be at the top of your class back in Louisiana, after all."

Before I could demand how he knew that, Nadeshiko-san picked up from where he left off with a small, elegant smile on her face. "You are also highly adequate when it comes to physical education, and you even have a strong taste for the arts."

"Not to mention that you play guitar," the other girl said while nonchalantly waggling her index finger in the air. "And that you're  _good._  You work at East Side Mario's for about four hours every day as a waitress to pay the rent for your apartment."

As if my jaw wasn't dropped low enough, Tadase-kun continued. "You're actually eighteen, and you're only in grade eleven because you've been held back due to hospitalization. You love chocolate and mint flavoured things, and have never tasted alcohol or participated in any drug-related activities. A model citizen who is most definitely going places. And yet you have a horrible sense of direction, which often causes you to get into sticky situations."

They all finished telling me pretty much everything that made me an individual with identical smug grins. I gathered my wits and snapped my mouth shut, turning it into a snarl. "How the heck do you know all of those things about me? Are you a bunch of creeps?"

"No," Tadase-kun chuckled, his countenance irritatingly light and carefree. "You've simply caught our interest. You're not like the other students here, you see."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

Tadase-kun cleared his throat and looked to the other Guardians for a moment. They all nodded at him, then looked expectantly at me. I crossed my arms while glaring at all of them, when Tadase-kun suddenly announced, "Snow Hisayuki-san, we'd like to invite you to join the Guardians."

My eyes widened in disbelief, and I let out a scoff. "You're kidding me, right?" None of them laughed. "I have no qualifications for this, and I'm the new kid! I don't even know anything about you guys!"

"Formal introductions, then," Tadase-kun began. "My name is Tadase Hotori. I'm fifteen years old, and the King chair of the Guardians."

"Nadeshiko Fujisaki," said Nadeshiko-san formally. "Fifteen years old, and the Queen chair of the Guardians."

"Kukai Souma. Sixteen years old, and the Jack chair of the Guardians." He grinned at me with his pointy white teeth. "I'm also captain of the soccer team."

"Yaya Yuiki!" Said the perky little red-head. "Fourteen years old! I'm the Ace chair, and I adore cute things! So naturally, Snow-chan, I already adore you!" My face flushed from hearing those words from someone four years younger than me.

"But wait a minute," I stammered, avoiding each of their probing gazes. "If you're all younger than me, why are Tadase-kun and Nadeshiko-san in my grade? You shouldn't even be in high school!" I said to Yaya-san, who just waved me off dismissively.

"The Guardians are permitted to skip a couple of grades because of our duties to watch over the entire student body," Nadeshiko-san explained, an easy smile on her face. "Though you would remain as you are if you were to join us."

"Why on earth would I do that?" I demanded, backing up slightly. I didn't understand what was going on. They knew so much about me, an obscene amount of information no one else knew, and they were asking the new kid to join them. Was something wrong with them? I really didn't have any credentials for this position, especially since I had no experience and a very short fuse. "I'm not joining. No way!"

"Please, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun murmured, strolling down the steps and towards me like we were friends or something. "We need you. You're the only one who can take this position."

I tried (and failed) to control the flush that rapidly spread across my cheeks. "What makes you say that? Just because I get good grades?"

"Not only because of that," Nadeshiko-san giggled, and she held up something that caught the sunlight streaming in and sparkled like a star. "But also because of this."

I squinted at the object pinched between her forefinger and thumb, and was surprised to see that it was a small lock that could fit on a locker. Only it was much more ornate and grand, with four heart-shaped diamonds interconnecting in the middle like a four-leaf clover. The rest of it was a shining gold colour, and it looked incredibly valuable.  
"Um, okay," I said, backing away from them even more but making sure I didn't collapse backwards into the stream. "What does that little lock have to do with anything?"

"It's not just 'a little lock'," Tadase-kun sighed. "It's called the Humpty Lock. It is incredibly powerful and valuable, sought after by countless people so they can wield its strength. But only you can, Hisayuki-san. Because when I first met you, I was carrying it with me, and it resonated very strongly in your presence."

"Resonated?" I repeated, suddenly remembering that odd wail-like noise I heard from Tadase-kun in McDonald's. He  _did_  leave rather suddenly after that. But this wasn't making any sense. How could a lock, an inanimate object, 'resonate' with anything? I turned to Tadase-kun, the question reflected in my eyes.  
He smiled at me, and it resembled the sun beaming down from the sky. "That is no ordinary lock. The Humpty Lock carries strong magic, and it resonates with someone who has a strong heart. I have never heard it react that strongly with someone before. I believe you were destined to join us."

What the hell was the matter with these people? Were they crazy? They were trying to sell me some unbelievable story about a magic lock that reacted in the presence of someone with a 'strong heart'. How can a heart even be strong, anyway? They were clearly deranged.

However, for the sake of an explanation, I heaved a sigh and decided to go along with their crazy story for now. "Alright then. What does this lock's resonance have to do with wanting me to become a Guardian?"

"Now this is the part that's going to sound completely weird," Kukai-kun snickered, like this conversation wasn't odd enough already. "Well, here goes. Ahem. 'All kids have an egg in their soul'."

Countless moments of painstaking silence followed thereafter, me glaring at each of the Guardians in disbelief. Finally, I managed to choke out the words, "I beg your fucking pardon?" Kukai-kun honestly just told me that all kids have an "EGG" in their soul. Were they all on drugs or something? There was no way that there was nothing wrong with them after they just told me that.

Kukai-kun nodded, clearly sensing my disbelief. "I figured that'd be your reaction. But it's the truth. These 'eggs' are manifestations of our hearts' deepest desires and dreams, like what we want to be when we grow up, or the type of person we wish to be. They're your 'true self' come to life, and if your wish is strong enough, your egg will emerge and then hatch into a personification of your wish. We call those 'Shugo Chara', or 'Guardian Characters'. Everyone has an egg, but only certain people's actually hatch."

"The Humpty Lock is linked to the Shugo Chara," Nadeshiko-san continued, and I was surprised that a level-headed and calm person like her was actually going on with this outrageous lie. They were clearly just messing with the new kid. I couldn't believe that they would do this, especially since they all seemed like nice people. "If someone is destined to hatch an incredibly powerful and strong Shugo Chara, it will resonate with them. Each of us Guardians have a Shugo Chara, you see, so naturally if you're destined to give birth to a powerful one, we want you among our ranks." She finished the explanation with a smile as graceful as the flowers swaying the light fall breeze.

I stared at all of them. That was all I could do. I was so shocked and dumbfounded from this story that I was at a loss for words. But then I swallowed the painful lump in my throat, and said, "Then… why can't I see them…? My voice came out strangled, which made me awfully embarrassed. I didn't want to show insane people like them how weak I was feeling right now.

Yaya-san shrugged. "You can only see them if you've actually given birth to one yourself. Yours haven't emerged yet, so it's only natural."

"This is crazy," I mumbled, backing away from all of them, across the bridge and towards the door. "You're all crazy. It's scientifically impossible for any of this to be real. Eggs inside of us? Please. Nobody's dreams are strong enough to manifest in the first place." I said the last part with a despaired glance down at my stomach, my scars gratefully covered by my clothes.

"This isn't science," Tadase-kun smiled. "It's magic. And it only comes true if you believe in it. I know it's hard to take in, but it's real. We're not lying, and we're not messing with you. These things really exist, and you're really going to give birth to one soon."

"I'm… I'm too old to have dreams!" I stammered, running out of excuses and just longing to escape. "I can't even have one of those…  _things_  if it were possible."

Tadase-kun gave me a look then, one that wasn't pitying, but almost sympathetic. "You may have aged physically, but I believe that all of our mental states are still that of a kid's. We all have the hearts of children. Haven't you wondered why you still get lost even though you're an adult now?"

My eyes widened in shock, my hands curling into fists so tight that my long nails drew blood. It was true. I never got lost before when Mom and Dad were with me. But ever since they both vanished from my life, I didn't know where I was going. Even though I grew older, and matured mentally, in reality…

…I hadn't moved forward at all. I was still a child, watching in horror as my mother brandished the sharpest kitchen knife she could find before me to destroy my life.

But even so. This was all impossible. I didn't need a bunch of mad strangers telling me a crazy story, or what I was really feeling. I knew what I wanted out of life. I wanted to find myself. I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be heard, unlike when I was a child and no one would listen to me. I wanted to be Snow Hisayuki, whoever that was. But she most definitely wasn't an insane person who actually believed in eggs that popped out of our souls.

"I don't need to hear that from you," I said, eerily come despite the storm of rage and confusion roiling in my chest. "I have someone I want to be, and that's me, whoever that is. And that's someone that I can find on my own."

Despite all of their shocked and somewhat wounded expressions, I was able to maintain a calm façade. I had dreams. And I didn't need any small, make-believe eggs telling me what they were.

Even so, the last thing I ever expected to happen, happened.

I could barely believe my eyes as something suddenly began shining from my chest. My first reaction was panic, thinking that something was going horribly wrong with me. It was a light that resembled a sunbeam blooming from where my heart was beating furiously, and it just kept growing and growing, like a curtain slowly opening to reveal the light of day in an otherwise dark room. I stumbled backward and hit the doors, but the light continued to shine and blind me. I grimaced away from me, tears threatening to prick in my eyes from sheer fear, but then suddenly, the light began to dim. I opened my squeezed eyes to see a now comfortable, warm light coming from me, and right in front of my face was-

My jaw unhinged like a snake's.

This wasn't possible. This couldn't really happening. There was no such thing as magic, and there was no such thing as the heart's egg. It was impossible. It couldn't be. It didn't make sense.

And yet, there they were. Three eggs, each the size of my hand, floating in front of me, each with a different design. One was red with black, flame-like patterns licking up the sides; another was white with purple and black lace patterns encircling it; the last was midnight blue with the phases of the moon shining on it, from a mere sliver to a blooming moon as the pattern went around. I thought I was hallucinating. They must've drugged me on whatever addiction they were on. Even though I smacked my face numerous times, the eggs were still there, and they were  _floating_  in front of me. The light stopped bursting from my chest altogether, just leaving me, the eggs, and the Guardians, all staring at me in utter shock.

Then, to my distinct horror and disbelief, the red egg began shaking and cracking. I covered my mouth with my trembling hand and whimpered into it slightly. The egg was getting fissures in its side, like some cheap toy you'd find at Wal-Mart for Easter. My eyes felt like they were exploding from my head from pure surprise and disbelief, the Guardian's expressions mirror images of what mine must've been.

The fissures finally encircled the entire egg, and then it made a strange little  _pop!_  noise. The shell fell to the floor, not cracking even though it should've, and in its place was a floating little person in front of me. A deranged smile began to crack on my face. I was finally losing my marbles.

The little person was clearly female, with long, crimson hair done up in a high ponytail with a little clip that resembled bat wings. A long black scarf was tied around her microscopic neck, cascading down the short few centimetres to her feet clad in black ballet slippers. The only thing covering her was a red bikini-like top with a black flame pattern, just like her egg, and leather short shorts. But the most striking thing about her was her eyes, an electrifying gold that reminded me of flickering yellow flames. Her pupils were the almond slits of a cat's, and they dilated in recognition when they kept staring at me.

Just before I started to scream, she proclaimed in a high-pitched, smug voice: "Heya, Snow! My name is Lilith, and I'm your first ever Shugo Chara!"


	5. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow is more than a little surprised to discover that the mysterious Shugo Chara are in fact real - and that she has one of her own. An unexpected adversary bursts into the scene before she even has time to process it, and she does something that takes everyone's breath away.

**Chapter IV**

**_The Beginning_ **

"Jeez, chill out, spaz," said the little floating person in front of me, scratching her head in irritation from my screaming. She wasn't see-through or anything. She certainly  _looked_ real. But I had to be hallucinating. This little thing was like a fairy or something, for kids and purely make-believe!

"This can't be real," I gasped, grasping at my already messed up ponytail. I probably looked like I belonged with my mother, but I didn't care. I was too freaked out and panicked to even consider my appearance before the Guardians, who were all staring at me like  _I_ was the weird one.

Then, the little floating brat bitch-slapped me. It didn't hurt in the slightest, since her hand was about the size of my pinkie finger, but I did feel it. She was real. Tangible.

"Now do you think you're hallucinating?" She quipped haughtily, putting her hands on her hips, tipping her head back, and then laughing like an evil overlord. I couldn't believe this. The Guardians weren't lying to me. I wouldn't have ever believed their story if living proof of my own wishes personified was floating right in front of me. But at least the part about eggs in our heart and… 'Shugo Chara', or whatever, was true. My eyes were watering from the shock and disbelief. There was actually a little personification of my wishes right in front of me.

"Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun suddenly said, snapping my attention to the Guardians that were all wearing deadly serious expressions. "Now you understand why we want you among the Guardians. It's highly irregular for someone to have two hearts' eggs, let alone three. You are meant for great things."

Even though I really wished I wasn't, I was trembling. Everything I could see was swimming in my vision, my fear and confusion affecting me physically now. I hadn't even believed in these things just seconds ago, now I'm being told that I'm special, even amongst the Guardians? I had always already been different enough, and now I'm caught up in some fantastical mess?

My eyes widened upon further speculation of the Guardians. I could  _see_ them. Their Shugo Chara that they spoke of. It was like mine being born was some kind of trigger that gave me that sight, and now their previously invisible forms were solid and real. Tadase-kun's character was a little king with a crown and pink hair styled like his, blue eyes looking down on me like I was scum or something. The one floating next to Yaya-san was a little baby in a pink onesie, her baby blue eyes and orange hair having the same appearance as her master's, childish and excitable. Sitting (or lounging, now that I thought about it) on Kukai-kun's shoulder seemed to be the miniature version of a stereotypical jock, decked out in sports gear and green hair spiked up. And not surprisingly, gracefully floating next to Nadeshiko-san was a very pale and graceful character, her violet hair tied up like hers and wearing a pink, flowery kimono.

Everything was true. I suddenly felt very faint and unsteady, my head swimming with all the newfound information. Was I having an identity crisis right now? What was I going to do?

"We have to move quickly," Tadase-kun suddenly said, a grim expression contorting his usually light and cheerful features. "He'll be coming after her after a new egg has hatched."

"Are we going to fight?" Kukai-kun asked, gripping his hand into a fist like the very thought pleased him.

"If it's unavoidable," Tadase-kun sighed, clearly not one for violence. I was trying to make sense of what they were talking about, but nothing was coming to mind. What were they going to fight? Who's going to come after me?

"We've already wasted so much time," Nadeshiko-san murmured, nervously biting her thumb. "He's surely already close by now."

"Yaya can take him!" Said the former, puffing out her cheeks like a defensive blow fish. "He's just a little cat-boy!"

… 'Little cat boy'? Did I even  _want_ to know what they were talking about? They all seemed very on edge, readying themselves into positions like warriors on a battlefield. What was going on? Did more people than the Guardians know about the Shugo Chara? I was suddenly reminded of the cult Tadase-kun spoke of, the one that used to take solace in the old school building, and shivered involuntarily. They believed in 'guardian angels' that followed you around and granted your wishes. I wondered how people would react if they knew that those people, supposedly crazy and criminals, were right all along.

"Whoa, you guys sure look defensive," a deep, masculine voice observed from somewhere above. All the Guardians stiffened then bolted out from the gazebo, their expressions alert and somewhat territorial. Their gazes each travelled to the top of the gazebo, wearing identical glares- except Kukai-kun, who was wearing something like a hungry smirk- and Tadase-kun stepped forward and pointed a threatening finger at a figure that was standing suavely on the roof.

What the- how had they gotten up there?! Not to mention that the roof was domed, and they should've been falling off by now. But the figure stood still, completely at ease and smooth, clad in something that resembled an all-black uniform with blue lining and silver crosses dangling from the shirt's collar and sleeves. Huh. For some reason, that very style and position reminded me of-

My gaze, wide-eyed and concerned, travelled up to the gazebo so I could see what all the fuss was about, carefully ignoring the little character in front of me. When the powerful, bright sunlight stopped glaring in my eyes, I finally got a good look at who was up there, and for the second time that day, my jaw unhinged from my head.

His sparkling midnight blue gaze met mine, a haughty smirk on his face that was apparently ever-present. That smirk slowly fell into a dropped mouth, showing straight white teeth and a pink tongue. I knew who that was. It was-

"Ikuto?!" I managed to choke out finally, and the Guardians' heads whipped back to look at me in utter shock.

"Snow?!" He demanded back, nearly losing his balance. Except something wasn't right. There were these… things coming out from the top of his head, coming to a strange triangular point, almost like…  _cat ears?!_  And a  _tail_ was swishing back and forth nervously from his backside, proving that it wasn't fake or anything. This was insane. What was happening right now?! Ikuto looked like a cat-boy or something!  
He quickly regained his composure, smoothing down his dark hair nonchalantly. He grinned down at me, though the last thing it spelled was 'pleasant'. "So we meet again. I knew we would soon. And what do we have here- is that a new little Shugo Chara with you, along with two other eggs?"

_THIS WAS INSANE._

Ikuto knew about them, as well! No wonder that he was asking if I could see something above his shoulder! But wait. That meant that he had a character, too?! Almost as if to answer my unspoken question, a little guy dressed in all black with a large cross down his middle popped out from under his hair, with the same coloured hair but golden eyes with cat pupils. Which I supposed was accurate, since he too was carrying dark cat ears on his head that matched the lazily swishing tail.

"Stay there, Hisayuki-san!" Tadase-kun demanded, jolting me out of my open-mouthed trance. "I don't know how you two know each other, but Ikuto Tsukiyomi is no good. And he's after your eggs!"

"WHAT." I snapped my head from Tadase-kun to Lilith, who was nonchalantly twirling a strand of lush scarlet hair around a finger. Then back up to Ikuto, who was bending his knees like a predator getting ready to pounce. Back to the Guardians again, who were all readying themselves and saying one thing in synchronization: "Chara Change!"

The fuck was that? I watched in a mix of awe and horror as Tadase-kun suddenly popped a crown on his head and a sceptre , Kukai-kun got a golden star clip in his hair and skateboard under him, Yaya-san obtained a baby rattle and bib, and Nadeshiko-san dashed two flower petals from her hair and held a naginata. I was about ready to burst into tears. I was past the point of non-believing and denial, finally realizing that a fight was about to break out between a group of four and one guy who didn't seem evil at all. Why were they fighting? It couldn't have been about my eggs and I, could it? Almost automatically, my eyes rested on the ground, where the other two eggs had rested after their little floating show. They seemed so innocent, so alive despite their dormant form. All of this was really happening. And even though I was only good with my fists, was I just supposed to sit there like a good little girl and watch someone possibly get hurt because of me?

I was right; these people knew nothing about me at all.

"I know what you're thinking," Lilith purred, floating up to my face to rest on my shoulder. I flinched and tried to brush her away, but she dodged easily. Her small weight was nothing at all to my seemingly giant shoulder, though it just made everything more real. I gulped down the lump that formed in my throat. "You want courage. You want the power to fight and protect these people."

I cast her a cold look, and saw that strands of my hair, falling out of its ponytail uncontrollably, brushed over her entire frame. I flicked it away, leaving my eyes locked with those pure golden ones, almost looking into my soul and burning it like flames. Even though it was crazy and unbelievable, this was really happening. I really had Shugo Chara, and she was questioning me on whether I wanted to protect people I had just met.

"Of course I do," I said fiercely, avoiding her probing gaze. Just because I accepted it to be real didn't mean I was any less freaked out. "After all, everybody means something to somebody. Nobody really deserves to get hurt."

"That's what I'm talking about!" She suddenly flew off my shoulder at lightning speed, a crimson little blur in the otherwise still and tense scene. Neither of the parties, Ikuto or the Guardians, had made their move, seeming to say things to each other with their mind. Tadase-kun actually looked a bit ticked off, a shock to me, while Yaya-san and Kukai-kun looked almost excited. Nadeshiko-san's expression was grim yet neutral, calm and assessing even in a situation like this. What on earth would they have to fight over? They all knew each other? From the way Ikuto and Tadase-kun were looking at each other, there was clearly some old history there, old wounds coming to the surface form just being in the same place.

Was that how I would look at my mother when we finally met again…?

Lilith was suddenly right in my face again, grinning like a little devil. I hadn't noticed before from her long hair and scarf, but tiny little bat wings were flapping on her back, a very small wind touching my face like a gentle snowflake. She held something up to me, though from her shaking arms, it seemed like it took a lot of effort. It caught the sunlight and sent four prisms in the four prime directions, which seemed to catch everyone's attention.

I tentatively reached my hand towards the Humpty Lock to take the weight away from Lilith.

"Hisayuki-san!" Tadase-kun exclaimed, whirling around to face me with a worried yet anticipating expression.

Ikuto's was the exact opposite. If anything, he glared at me in a cold and unfamiliar way that made my heart feel like it was being torn from my chest. "What is she doing with the Lock?!" He demanded, baring pointed kitty fangs at me.  _Eep._

I didn't understand their reactions. But I finally did when the lock was dropped into my hand, its weight somewhat heavy and firm. I stared into its four glittering crystals, each winking at me in the natural light. And then it began to shine like an exploding firework of white and yellow, swallowing me in an eerie and bright light.

A shriek automatically escaped from my mouth. Again with bright lights! This thing should come with a seizure warning! It began to make that whining sound again, the sound of a baby's first cry, and maybe a person's sadness, as I was completely enveloped in some sort of… warmth, like bathing in sunlight. I got that weird feeling that you get underwater, like it's hard to move your body through its density and wade through.

When I opened my eyes that were previously squeezed shut, I realized that it was because I  _was_ underwater. Or something like that anyway. It was too warm to be like a lake, though it was everywhere I looked. How was that possible? I was just in the Royal Garden a second ago! Had I fallen into the stream or something, and it was deeper than I thought?! No, that couldn't be. Tadase-kun had mentioned the Lock was magic, and this scene had only appeared after I had taken hold of it. Was  _this_ what he meant?

I began to struggle futilely, freaked out by my surroundings and wondering why my throat wasn't exploding from being unable to breathe. Then I realized it was because I  _was_ breathing, frantic and panicked breaths, but breathing nonetheless. I thrashed about, wanting to get out of this insane box of madness when Lilith suddenly appeared before me. She was glowing, the only definable feature about her the mischievous grin.

She slowly held out her tiny hand to me. I tried backing away, but my legs just flailed aimlessly in space. "It's okay," she said, smiling for real since the first time she had been born. "You can trust me and take my hand, Snow. I am you, after all."

"What's happening?" I demanded, miraculously speaking in a place like this and dodging the subject. "Where are we?"

"You don't have to worry about that," she giggled, showy pointy little fangs. "Just take my hand and you'll have the strength you desire."

I hugged my arms around myself, narrowing my eyes. "That sounds suspicious."

"I was born from your wish," she tried again, her tone slowly collapsing from peaceful to irritated. "'I want to find myself'. I am the missing element from yourself, the piece you require to complete your own puzzle."

Damn. I did think something like I wanted to find myself before all this happened, didn't I?

"Don't look like you regret it!" She snapped right in my ear, making me jerk away. "You won't regret anything if you just embrace who you want to be. That's why we're here."

"There's nothing scientific or believable about this," I growled, a worry line creasing between my two brows. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because this isn't science," she murmured, her smile confident and somewhat motherly. "It's magic."

I slowly began to drop my arms from my chest, my hands trembling slightly. Somehow I knew that the clock was ticking. I remembered that people were fighting, wherever they went to, and what if I never got back? Something had to be done.

"What if…" I said, my voice barely a whisper. "What if I don't take your hand?"

Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of pure conviction and determination. "Then I'll take yours!" She yelled, and she rushed down and took hold of the ring finger on my left hand. The finger of promise.

Aaaaand light began exploding again, and it had the same feeling as when I went outside in the wintertime as a kid and got unexpectedly pelted in the face with a snowball. Everything rushed at me at once, and my eyes shut again. Light danced under my lids, glimmers of what was happening outside reflected upon my body. I felt something slide against my skin, my chest, my neck, my legs. My hair was swooped up by a strong, irresistible force, and stayed that way. It felt like my body was unconsciously doing a dance, my legs flinging about along with my arms. My body was a ragdoll being tossed about in a tempest. When everything finally began slowing down, I felt my feet touch the ground and could've collapsed to it in relief. But I didn't.

Because an indescribable feeling of power and courage was coursing through me, and I had never felt so sure or certain about anything in my life. Whatever was happening right now felt right. And so did the words that unconsciously formed on my lips as I gripped something attached to the random new belt on my hips: "Character Transformation: Femme Fatale."

My eyes opened as a loud choir of "WHAT"s was unleashed, each one sounding different than the last. I realized those were the voices of the Guardians and Ikuto, and I could feel their stares tingling at every inch of my bare skin. Wait…  _bare skin?_  WHAT WAS GOING ON?

I looked down, and what do you know- my jaw was still attached enough for it to drop again. I was dressed identically to Lilith, a long black scarf covering my neck and chin, cascading down to my feet covered in shiny ballet flats with ribbons criss-crossing up my legs. Uncomfortable shorts were sticking to my thighs, and I realized that was because they were  _leather._  Ew, what?! And why was there a spike-covered belt holding them up, with a… was that a  _whip? WAS THAT A FLIPPING WHIP._  A snake-like whip was attached to a belt loop, coiling around my leg slightly like a tight rope. Oh my god, my entire stomach was showing with that stupid, near-bra thing Lilith wore with the flame pattern, the fine lines of my waist and thin stomach sticking out like a sore thumb. Yet my scars weren't visible, for whatever reason. Maybe it had something to do with the strange power coursing through me, but  _come on this thing was basically a bikini top!_ Thankfully some major cleavage was covered by the scarf, though my back wasn't so lucky thanks to the high ponytail my hair had somehow been neatly tied into.

"What the bunk is this?!" I demanded, spinning around to… I dunno, check if it was some sort of trick! I had suddenly changed clothes into something I would  _never wear,_  even if my life depended on it, and I felt so exhilarated. Maybe I really was on drugs. That whole water-thing was pretty trippy.

"You just…" Tadase-kun murmured, his eyes finding mine and slashing into me with awe. "…Character Transformed."

"I what?" I demanded, my face flushing in embarrassment. I felt sorely tempted to go and duck into a very tempting bush that was practically beckoning me into the corner, but something stopped me. It was like a different force was moving my body, my arms and legs attached to invisible puppet strings.

 _Don't flip out,_ a familiar, dark voice whispered into my mind. It was Lilith! Did she somehow go inside of me?!  _Yes, I am inside of you. Back inside your heart to help you fight, that is._

"Well, git out!" I screeched aloud, making everyone but Ikuto flinch in surprise. "What tha hell is even goin' on? Why am I dressed like some sorta stripper?"

 _I take offense to that._  Even though the voice was in my head, I could've sworn I heard her huff.  _But everyone is off-guard now. We have to strike the enemy while we can!_

Since we were talking about striking enemies, I decided it was best to… I don't know,  _think_ what I wanted to say and hope she understood somehow.  _But nobody's an enemy,_ I thought.  _I just wanted them to stop fighting, that's all!_

 _Oh?_ She responded, seeming to have heard me loud and clear.  _Even that punk-ass cat who wants to take your eggs?_

I was suddenly reminded of the current situation, snapping my head up to find Ikuto leaping of the gazebo with impossibly strong legs. He landed very close to me with hardly a thud, a cat landing on its paw pads silently and stealthily. A twisted grin covered his face as he approached, each step slow and deliberate, enjoying what he was watching unfold. "Looks like a stray little chick just laid some unwanted eggs."

"Izzat supposed ta be funny?!" I demanded, only just now realizing that the accent had come out.

"Kind of, but since no one's laughing, I guess I can say I lost that one." His grin turned into something like playfulness as he bent his knees down again, very much like a jungle cat stalking its prey through the untamed vegetation. "But this is a battle I won't be losing."

"Well at least he's not over-confident," I muttered sarcastically under my breath, but the strange dark ears on his head twitched, seeming to have heard me. He smiled like it was actually funny, and I stared at his added appendages in wonder, pondering how it would feel to touch them…

It was a damned shame that I was a cat-crazy person. This was like the epitome of my life right now.

 _Get your mind out of the gutter!_ Lilith telepathically hissed to me, and I started. "I wasn't-"

My being unable to finish was due to my arm moving on its own, the puppet strings pulling me again without my resistance. My body felt strangely relaxed in this used state, easily being controlled by something that wasn't really there. It reached for the whip and slashed it off of my belt and leg, and it cracked like that of a beast master's. My eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare at the cat poseur in front of me, and- I could barely even believe my eyes- I watched as he raised his eyebrows and smiled challengingly.

He clearly wasn't expecting my controlled arm to lash the whip sideways at him, and it actually seemed to stretch and grow in length, its scaly surface wrapping around his torso tightly. His eyes were widened in shock, and I almost giggled at his expression. Sure, he may have been the enemy in this situation and all, but I still took pride in watching the expressionless enigma's face drop because of me.

 _What is this?_ I wondered, not really asking Lilith but getting a response anyway.

 _My power as a Shugo Chara,_ she responded, and I detected a hit of pride in her unheard voice.  _Increased speed and agility, along with the Serpentine. A whip that has the power to expand at will and tighten, like the tail of a snake. Or a dragon, in this case, since that's kind of what my character is modeled after._

 _Huh? Why a dragon?_ I thought, my brows physically furrowing in confusion.

Her voice was silent for a long time as I held back my laughter, watching Ikuto struggle against the tightening whip.  _Because they are strong,_ she responded, unusually serious.  _And because of… something else. But I suppose you'll find that out later. You have to find the missing pieces to your puzzle alone, after all._  She sounded like a fortune cookie.  _I heard that._ Damn.

Suddenly Ikuto was smirking again, his broad shoulders shaking with unheard laugher. "What?!" I demanded, pulling the whip a bit. He barely even winced, seeming too distracted with his own private joke.

"Just this," he began, gesturing down to the whip with a light jerk of his cat-eared head, "feels incredibly naughty."

OH MY GOD. "Shut up, pervert!"I screamed as I threw the whip out of my hands like it burned me, earning a furious yell from Lilith inside of me. Ikuto slithered out of its grasp like he himself was the serpent, and leapt into the air with such grace I felt jealous. But then he landed near my eggs, reaching out a long and slender arm to snatch them.

The Guardians were running up behind him to put up a fight, but I was faster, thanks to Lilith. I almost felt like I had become the wind as I zoomed in front of him and pulled his arm away, earning a shocked and somewhat amused look. My gaze hardened as I stared into his two pools of endless blue eyes, seeming to almost get dragged in and drowned. A spark ignited somewhere deep inside of them as my grip tightened on his arm, and I was able to control my blush.  _The heck was that…?_

"Fine," he said suddenly, making everyone come to an abrupt stop. "I give in for today, since I don't think there's a need to Transform. However…"

He trailed off as he wrenched his arm out of my grasp, surprising me into a gasp. He was right behind me, his towering presence casting a shadow on the cobblestone hidden from the sun because of us. His arms were suddenly wrapped around my bare stomach, and I had to stop an involuntary scream from exploding out of me. My face felt as red as Lilith's hair as his breath tickled my ear.

"I will be coming for your eggs," he whispered, and I didn't even look at his head beside mine, feeling that we would be too close. Besides, I could  _hear_ the grin in his voice.  _'Coming for your eggs'. God that sounds dirty._

I realized with a shocked squawk what I had just been thinking about and jumped away, my hand free from its puppet strings and turning into a fist. He dodged easily as I swung at him with a chuckle, and in a flash of blue and black, he had disappeared from the scene.

The blush still wasn't draining from my face. I thought he might be nice! He had rescued me from some thugs, from the heartless words of that bobblehead blonde, and, and… he  _did_ tell me not to just make assumptions about someone. Was all of that fake? Leading me on so he could steal the eggs he somehow knew would be born from me? But… that didn't feel right. Even if that mysterious, apparently cat-like boy was the enemy of the Guardians, something felt wrong. Like there were deep scars there, covered by layers and layers of lies and deceit and sorrow. I knew the feeling all too well, so I was familiar with the signs. Something was wrong with this whole situation. Why would he come after my eggs in the first place? Why was he the Guardians' enemy when he didn't seem like mine?

As I slowly felt my own school uniform slip into place and Lilith creepily emerged from my chest like it was melting, I turned to the Guardians and said, "I think you people owe me an explanation."

* * *

 

I knew from experience that almost everything has a dark side to it. Seemingly happy families that are really just putting on masks, people who seem bright and cheerful that have deep-seated issues, couples that always fight while appearing fine on the outside. Darkness, sorrow, hatred… all of those negative emotions were everywhere in life. They were inevitable to feel. And if you never feel them, then you haven't truly lived.

Even so, I didn't expect there to be a dark side to the whole Shugo Chara thing.

Entranced, I sat at the ornately carved wooden table in the gazebo in the Royal Garden for a while after school- having went to classes earlier and pretended everything was normal- as Tadase explained the whole deal to me. While people like us, who have strong, pure wishes in their heart that give birth to the Shugo Chara, people that have a problem or issue buried deep will taint their egg with their internal darkness, thus creating something aptly dubbed an 'X Egg', because of the large white X that apparently appears on the smooth black surface of the magical dairy product. A hidden job of the Guardians was to protect the student body from having their eggs turned into such, something that practically flew in one of my ears and out the other.

So the Guardians were obviously just not any regular student council. The Headmaster apparently was aware of the whole deal, as well, which is why Tadase-kun, Kukai-kun, Yaya-san, and Nadeshiko-san were chosen to be Guardians in the first place because of their born and powerful Shugo Chara. They told me the X Eggs could be purified, but none of them have been able to accomplish doing so. They couldn't even Character Transform, the weird rush of adrenaline and power I felt earlier after I touched the Humpty Lock. That was apparently when you and your Shugo Chara kind of combined together to make like a mega-force type thing, your powers and strength shooting up to one hundred and twenty percent. Only people with really strong wishes, dreams, and bonds with their Shugo Chara can accomplish that.

Which made it all the more confusing as to why Lilith and I did it right after she was born. I didn't trust what was happening at all, and yet we still Transformed.

After Tadase-kun finished that whole explanation, each of the Guardians was looking at me somewhat expectantly. Before we had started the discussion, Nadeshiko-san had brought out tea and chocolate cookies, so I picked one up and chewed thoughtfully to avoid speaking. When I had gulped it all down, I leaned back in my chair, away from Lilith chatting with the other Shugo Chara of the Guardians, and crossed one long, pale leg over the other. "That doesn't explain why Ikuto came out of nowhere and tried to take my other two eggs." Which were now safely tucked away in my school bag. I didn't want to risk nearly having them snatched again.

Tadase-kun's expression darkened beyond recognition. "That's where the real problem lies. See, there's this legend about a magical egg going around, one that has immeasurable powers and can grant any wish. We call it the Embryo."

I started to laugh.

Kukai-kun raised one curved eyebrow. "Something funny, Hisayuki?"

I didn't think that they'd get the hilarity of calling a magical egg an embryo. It sounded completely ridiculous. So I pinched my lips together to bite back a smile and waved at Tadase-kun to continue.

He tried to smile, though it came out looking forced. "Naturally, people that know of the Shugo Chara and whatnot are desperately searching for this egg for their own gain. We are as well, because… well, let's just say I have something I want to achieve. But among the people searching for it is a company called Easter."

The laughter burst out of me all over again. They had to be kidding. What was the irony of a company called Easter looking for a magical egg called the Embryo? I was dying here, my arms wrapping around myself to clutch at my aching sides.

While Kukai-kun just rolled his eyes at me, Nadeshiko-san politely giggled along. "You have to admit, Souma-kun, it is rather funny." I flashed a friendly grin at her, and she smiled right back, though there was a slight colour to her cheeks.

"Anyway," Tadase-kun continued, his mouth twitching slightly. "Ikuto Tsukiyomi is working for Easter in trying to take the Embryo for whatever purpose they may have. He's always up to no good, and takes any new eggs he think may potentially turn out to be the Embryo, which is why he came for yours."

"If you don't know what their purpose is, how can you be so sure that it's not good?" I demanded, surprisingly defensive when Tadase-kun said Ikuto was up to no good. There was a piece missing from this puzzle as well, and I could sense that Tadase-kun was hiding it from me. I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, trying to read his expression, but being unable to.

"Because they purposely draw out X Eggs," he murmured softly and despondently. The air became very tense and quiet, and I noticed that Yaya-san had a sort of pout on her face, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere. I could understand why that may have been bad. Those were a person's hopes and dreams personified, and this 'Easter' was pulling them out and tainting them on purpose.

"What kind of company is Easter?" I asked, coughing to hide up a snicker that threatened to bubble up when I said the name.

"Hard to say," Yaya-san responded this time, her mouth covered in chocolate that was falling into her lap. "They are supporters of a lot of entertainment groups and figures that are pretty famous, so they've built up a pretty fair reputation. Getting on their bad side isn't what you'd call a 'bright idea'."

"I can tell," I grumbled.

"But with you, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun cut in suddenly, his countenance brightening, the sun peeking out from behind dark clouds and shedding the world in warm light. "I believe that we may have a chance against Easter and Ikuto Tsukiyomi. You have three eggs, and the Humpty Lock chose you, as well. You can even Character Transform."

"Yeah!" Kukai-kun exclaimed, pumping a tanned fist in the air profusely. "With Hisayuki on our side, the mysterious and aloof-"

" _Aloof?_ " I repeated incredulously.

He grinned and continued. "The mysterious and aloof transfer student on our side, Easter doesn't stand a chance."

Before they all burst out into some kind of musical cheer I could definitely feel coming, I uncrossed my legs and pushed myself away from the table, standing tall and straight. "I don't recall ever saying I would help you."

"Huh?!" Yaya-san demanded, her small mouth dropping into a pink 'O'. "Why not?!"

"Because this is all crazy, and I just came here to accomplish my own goals," I said simply, avoiding their hurt gazes and trying to remain calm. "The last thing that I would ever want to do is get involved in something like this. It sounds reckless, and I don't even know what you want to do with this 'Embryo'. And as it appears you don't want to tell me, how on earth could I trust you with anything?"

"You're already involved," Lilith chirped from the table, and I looked down to glare at her. She was licking chocolate off her fingers and sitting beside Yaya-san's Shugo Chara, who was apparently named Pepe. "You were since the moment the Humpty Lock reacted to you, Snow. None of this is coincidence; it's fate."

My mouth twitched in irritation, a dirty look crossing my face. It kind of ticked me off that a little person I just met was telling me off, even if she was born from me. "I don't need to rack up any enemies after just moving here," I added, my eyes becoming slightly hooded with confusion. Everything was happening so fast, and my life had changed in an instant. They expected me to just join them in their fight with no qualms? I had problems of my own.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Tadase-kun murmured, a sad look crossing his eyes. "But you're the only one we can turn to. We have never encountered a person with as much potential as you, and who knows what could happen if Easter gets their hands on the Embryo first."

I tried to ignore him by making a show of pulling my phone out of my blazer pocket and checking the time. "I'm going to be late for work," I grumbled, hoisting my bag off the ground carefully so as not to jostle the eggs. "And this isn't my problem. I'm just a person who has Shugo Chara now, nothing more. I honestly believe there's nothing I could do to help you."

"That isn't what we're asking," Nadeshiko-san suddenly piped up, making me pause as I descended the steps to escape the Royal Garden that was suddenly becoming suffocating with all the cheery colours and prisms. "We're not asking if you  _can_ do it. We're asking if you want to."

"What I want doesn't matter," I said, my voice just above a whisper. "Right now, I'm trying to focus on what I need."

All was silent as I opened and closed the glass doors to the Royal Garden, Lilith following behind me somewhat begrudgingly. The sky had been dyed the colours of powerful flames, the golden sun casting downward with the late time. A fall wind blew as I walked away, blowing my skirt around me and making my hair come loose of its ponytail. I yanked it out altogether and could distinctly smell my coconut shampoo as it blew in my face. Bloodied leaves dusted across the ground with scuttling and scraping noises, abandoning their vulnerable and naked trees to the rapidly approaching winter.

 _It's not my problem,_ I repeated to myself, though I bit my lip in something that felt a little like heartbreak. It felt like I left a piece of myself behind in that Royal Garden, with the people that had become very familiar with me all too quickly. I did want friends, but not this. I wanted to live a normal life, something that seemed like such a luxury after all I've scrambled out of to get here. I couldn't even have that much?

I was fully aware of how selfish and cruel I was being. They were begging me for help, and I refused to give it. I felt heartless and broken, the complete contrary of the extraordinary experience I dealt with earlier. I paused in my walk, gazing up at the sky through the screen of skeletal branches above me, my eyebrows knitting together in sorrow.

_I don't know what to do._

_I mess everything up._

_No one really needs me._

Pessimistic words as such flowed through my head, and I shook it vigorously, trying to keep a positive outlook. Though… there was really nothing I had to be positive about anymore. What was I going to do now? I had to deal with an annoying little person following me around all the time, and two other eggs that had yet to hatch. And I had to do it alone.

"Snow," Lilith murmured quietly, startling me. I was probably never going to get used to turning around and seeing how  _small_ she was, and how she could fly completely nonchalantly. The Guardians had no idea how they did it either, but Lilith brushed off the question by saying 'it's magic'. Right. Magic.

"What?" I asked, staring at her emotionlessly.

Completely catching me off-guard, she floated right up to my ear and screamed, "DON'T BE SO PESSIMISTIC!" I nearly tottered backwards from surprise and the ringing that was now resounding in my ears, but she didn't seem to care. She just crossed her arms in a pissed off kind of way and let out a huff. "You aren't being honest, with me or yourself. You really want to help them, don't you? You… really want something to believe in."

I smiled melancholically. "I guess so. But I don't belong there. Even though you're by my side now, that just makes things worse." I began picking up my walk again, bowing my head slightly so no one could see the shattered expression on my face. "I'm even more different now than I ever was before."

I wasn't good enough or strong enough to be a Guardian. But now I had Lilith following me around on top of my odd looks and behaviour. I was becoming more and more of a misfit, belonging to neither world.

It was ironic how much truth was in those words without even knowing it.

Even so, as I walked further and further away from the Royal Garden, it seemed like my heart was crying out to it.  _I'm sorry,_ it seemed to wail mournfully.  _I'm sorry for being me._


	6. Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow doesn't have any confidence in herself, believing she isn't a good fit for the Guardians. She gets a bout of encouragement from an unlikely source, and finds herself torn between remaining distant from her peers on a journey that will inevitably end or what she believes is right.

**Chapter V**

**_Faith_ **

"Time to take out the trash, Hisayuki."

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded to Mrs. Garret, discreetly rolling my eyes when she wasn't looking. My job was to be a server, not the garbage lady. But nonetheless, I hefted up the overflowing black bag of trash and stench without complaint and carried it outside to the large blue bins in the alleyway next to the restaurant.

Thankfully it was too cold for any disgusting or pesky bugs to be darting around the bins, otherwise I probably would've been swarmed. The stench flowing from the many bags hit me like a physical thing, sticking in my nostrils until it became like a taste. I dropped the bag in the pile and began hacking the scent out of my mouth and nose, pulling down the black sleeve of my too-small East Side shirt and covering my nose with it. That just made it shrug further down my shoulder and cling to my chest, and I was thankful I was alone so no one could see its definition.

Or at least I thought I was alone.

As I turned around to start heading back into the bustling restaurant, chattering voices and clanking of dishes heard even from outside, I ran smack into a hard and sturdy body. The scent of rot and maybe death was instantly tided over by the person who I had run into, smelling like fresh soap and something slightly spicy and musky. I backed up and shook my head, covered hand still over my nose.

"I'm sor-" I cut myself off as I realized who I had bumped in to. Then I made a low tut at the base of my throat. "What are  _you_ doing here? I don't suppose you'll go away if I just asked."

"Fat chance," Ikuto Tsukiyomi chuckled, a deep rumble in his firm, flat chest. "Hello to you, too."

"I'm working here," I muttered, trying to push around him only to have my way blocked by his chest again. I glared up at him. "What do you want? My eggs aren't with me, anyway." Which wasn't exactly a lie. They weren't directly with me; just sitting inside of my locker in the small changing area near the restaurant's kitchen.

He made a huge show of rolling his electrifying blue eyes slowly, coming back to rest on mine in a wry kind of way. "I need a reason like that to see you?"

I crossed my arms with a huff and tried to make it look like the blush that covered my cheeks was just from the cold. "Of course. I barely even know you."

"But you'd like to," he chuckled again, stepping closer to me. I backed up a step unconsciously and nearly tripped over a garbage bag. He grabbed my hand firmly yet gently and pulled me back up from my backwards flailing, tugging me close to his chest. His head was cocked to the side, examining, curious.

I tried to wrench away, and my horrible strength compared to his- that of a man's- made a grin stretch across his face. "No way. Why are you even doing this? I'm not working with the Guardians to get the Embryo or whatever, if that's what you wanted to know."

Surprise briefly flicked in his intense eyes, but it was gone in a flash. "So you already know that much," he murmured, almost to himself. He slowly let go of my hand, looking somewhere far away that I couldn't see.

"Are we done here?" I demanded, shifting my weight to my right hip and placing an indignant hand on it. "I have work to do or my boss is gonna chew me out."

"Ouch. Why so cold, Snow?"

I couldn't believe he just said that. I stared up at him in blatant shock and horror, asking, "Was that supposed to be funny?"

He took one look at my face, then burst into loud, crowing laughter at my expression. The gesture may have been simple and insulting to someone else, but Ikuto's laughter seemed like a rare and precious treasure compared to his usual stoic expression. It made warm puffs of steam come from his mouth, and I found myself laughing along to its contagious, almost husky sound.

The alleyway was filled with uncanny silence as he stopped quite abruptly and whipped his head up from looking at the ground and laughing, the most incredulous expression on his face, with a wide grin and sky-high raised eyebrows. "What the hell was that?" He demanded, coughing slightly from his sudden mood swing.

I blinked up at him. "What was what?"

"Was that your freaking  _laugh_?"

Automatically at the comment, I gasped and clamed a hand over my mouth. "What's wrong with my laugh?!" I demanded, watching in astonishment as he pressed his lips together to keep more laughter in and squeezed his eyes shut. "What's your problem?!"

"That was the most ridiculous sounding laugh I have ever heard," he gasped, his breath coming in and out in a rushed way. I coloured with shame and looked away, my chest stinging. Maybe Ikuto really was a bad guy, a cruel guy. I had never really thought so, and maybe the Guardian's little issue was making me biased, but suddenly he seemed a lot meaner than he would've if he had made fun of my laugh before I met them.

He saw the look on my face, and shockingly tried to stop laughing. Could he have been sparing my feelings from further ridicule? No, it couldn't be. He didn't really seem like a considerate person, his face always looking permanently unamused and somewhat angry. But now he seemed somewhat regretful, his eyebrows knit together in a frustrated kind of way.

"But it's contagious," he muttered, suddenly unable to catch my gaze. "So back away a bit before I start laughing again."

He had been thinking the same thing about me as I had been him, so with a smile on my face, I stepped back slightly with a wet sounding thud as my shoes smacked against the damp pavement. His eyes flicked up and found mine, and I could feel that my eyes were crinkling in the corners from my grin. Somehow he had known just what to say to make me somewhat melancholy again, and I was sort of…  _pleased_ to know that he felt like my laugh would make him laugh again. Weird as it sounded.

His expression was suddenly serious again, his mouth set in a firm line and eyes staring right through me. "Why didn't you join the Guardians, even after I attacked you?"

The dreaded question. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment, considering what to tell him. If he was their enemy and may come after my eggs again, I didn't want to let him into the private little world that was my thoughts, knowing that he may be able to dig up a weakness. The breath came out of me slowly and heavily. "I don't know," I said, as honestly as I could. "I just… I have… I don't know. There's other stuff I have to be doing. And it's not like I asked for these magical little eggs, you know. They just kind of appeared."

"That's what tends to happen," he quipped sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at my glare. "It's not like I care, anyway. I just wanted to know if I had to be watching my back for small people like you coming to pounce on me."

I let out a snort. "Who would want to pounce on you?"

And suddenly the irritating little smirk was back. "I can think of some people."

I pressed my lips together and looked away so I wouldn't laugh again. "Very mature." My voice trailed off as I stared up at the sky. The stars and moon were covered by thick, ominous clouds, the scent being carried through the air meaning it was going to rain. I inhaled deeply, just as Ikuto said matter-of-factly, "It's going to rain."

"You can smell it, too?" I asked without thinking.

He seemed surprised. "Yeah. My senses are kind of heightened, like a cat's. But why can you smell it?"

I shrugged. "I've always been able to. My mom used to tell me that I was better than the weather channel when it came to predictions about the heat and stuff. I guess we're even more alike now, huh?"

His blue eyes blinked slowly in surprise. "You think we're… alike?" He drawled, eyebrows slashing down in confusion- or maybe irritation. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, unlike you, I am not a pervert," I began with a murderous expression, and he had the nerve to waggle his eyebrows. "But… it seems like we're both… I don't know. I'm probably just making assumptions again, but… it seems like the both of us are hiding some idiosyncrasies from everyone else, you know? You get that far-away look in your eyes," I justified, pointing a finger at those two bright and intelligent blue traps. "Like you're always thinking about something more than the current situation. Well, what I've seen of you, anyway. I do that sometimes as well, because…"

I trailed off, lowering my hand so it fell slack to my side. I avoided his gaze and bit my lip. This comparison was probably only on my part, and I was only making him into what I wanted him to be. For some reason, I didn't want a guy like him to be bad, to be my enemy and work for the "evil" Easter Company. He had saved me on two occasions, and something about the way he talks, or the look in his eyes makes me think that there's more to him than a condescending smirk and cat-like façade.

"Because there's a lot for me to think about," I finished, looking back up at him.

His expression was carefully neutral, though it looked like he was breathing a bit harder than before by the rapid rise and fall of his chest. "I don't need someone to try and read me," he said with a flat voice, his eyebrows rising again. "You're overthinking it."

"I tend to do that," I muttered forlornly, a point-blank smile coming to my face as my own eyebrows drew up in mock acceptance.

We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and I thought that the drop of wetness I suddenly felt on my cheek was the beginning of tears from the way my chest stung and ached from his blatant rejection to my words. But, no, as I confirmed by glancing into the sky and seeing raindrops splatter against the pavement with harsh plops. Ikuto didn't even glance up as he pulled the hood of his sweater over his head again, his face looking perpetually annoyed.

"Listen," he began, his tone somewhat harsh. I turned my gaze back to him, my bangs sticking to my head so much they eclipsed my right eye. His eyes opened again from being closed in concentration, and again I had to take note of how much depth they seemed to hold a world inside of them that only Ikuto could see. One that was probably clouded and dark, from the look on his face.

"I don't know about your circumstances," he began, crossing his arms over his chest, his pale hands a complete contrast against his dark sweater. "Nor do I care." Now I was getting a bit pissed off at his blunt way of putting things. "But you shouldn't let who you believe you are cloud your vision of who you  _really_ are, know what I mean? Now that you have proof that there's a wish in your heart, it's up to you whether or not it pushes you forward or backward. But just consider this: the fact that you found about them today, as you are now and no one else… could it have been fate?"

It was kind of hard for me to understand what he meant. But after a few moments of staring at him blankly as the rain began to become heavier and soak through my clothes, I got it. He was somehow managing to smooth out the worries I had been carrying by saying that even if I didn't think myself worthy of dreams, or of great and popular people like the Guardians, maybe this was all meant to happen. Maybe I was meant to join them, to enter their world even if I wasn't a perfect person.

My heart sped up at the new revelation. If I joined them… if I helped the find this 'Embryo' and somehow got to know them better, would I become stronger? Would I find the courage I never had to go and face my past and future? I may have just been overthinking things again, but… I wanted to believe that the person I was now could become better by joining those people on their journey to find themselves, and the wish they hoped to grant.

"Those were the great Ikuto-sama's words of wisdom for the day," the former called out to me from a ways down the alley, almost drowned out by the rhythmic drumming of rain against the nearby homes and pavement. Irritation bubbled in my chest and temples at the haughty way he addressed himself, but before I could snap at him for it like I know I would have, he turned on the heel of his boots and began stalking away. "I'll be seeing you, Snow."

For once, I was going to let go of the informal way he addressed someone he just met a few days ago. Instead of calling him on it, I said, "Wait!" To his retreating figure, almost fuzzed out by the screen of precipitation. He turned back slightly, his expression unseen because of the hood.

I reached into the pocket of my East Side issue apron, pulled out what I wanted to give him, and tossed it so it sailed through the air in a perfect pitch. Despite being turned away from me, he reached his hand up and caught it easily, briefly examining it before turning back to look at me with a bemused expression.

"Thanks for stopping by," I called begrudgingly, my face so red I could've sworn steam was coming off of me from the heat and rain.

Ikuto tore the wrapper off of the sucker that we gave to customers with their bill, a cheap little thing with a screwy version of the Italian flag printed on it, shoved said wrapper into one of his pockets, then shoved the candy in his mouth. After scanning me up and down for a few moments and sucking thoughtfully, leaving me to stand there awkwardly, he took it out of his mouth and licked it once seductively. "Nice shirt, by the way," he cooed.

 _What?_ It took me a minute to remember that the shirt was way too small and clung to my chest like a glove, even more so now that it was drenched from the rain. I hurriedly crossed my arms over my chest, my face turned into a snarl, and screamed at his now walking away form, "You're such a freaking lecher!"

His shoulders shook with unheard laughter, and I watched him until the screen of rain obliterated him completely.

And here I thought that he had a shred of decency and thoughtfulness in him. God.

* * *

 

"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Lilith screeched the moment my fumbling hands managed to open the apartment door, flying into the room at Mach speed. My exhausted body stumbled in after her, checking to make sure the door was locked again, and then collapsed on the couch with a weary grunt. I could hear her explosive, maniacal laughter as she swooped and darted throughout the air, earning yet another grunt from me that roughly translated to, "Piss off."

"Aw, come on, Snow," she whined, suddenly right by my ear. I waved her off half-heartedly, my arm so exerted from simply lifting it that it just fell slack to my side again. "I mean, sure, you're manager could be the first world equivalent of a slave driver, and that cat-guy is completely bonkers, but'cha got ME now!"

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, my voice muffled from the soft fabric of the couch.

"'Course!" She sang, her voice so high-pitched and small that it reminded me of a mouse when I couldn't see her. "And at least that guy gave you some encouragement, even if he was staring at your boobs while he said it."

Now I actually managed to grumble "piss off".

"Not a chance," she chuckled, and I felt a very light weight rest on my head. "So how about it? Are you gonna try joining the Guardians?"

It took a while for me and my overtired brain to respond, the events that had occurred over the day finally crashing down on me like one big tidal wave. "Maybe I'll try," I finally managed to mutter. "I mean, if they're even willing to still have me after what a bitch I was."

"You weren't a bitch," she responded with a snort. "You've always been oversensitive to the small stuff. Just relax and don't care so much about what other people think, yeah?"

Something she had said caught my attention, making me struggle to maneuver myself into a sitting position. My messy white hair created a curtain around me, the weight that was Lilith coming off my head as I moved. Her form was obscured by my bangs, and she thankfully but uncomfortably picked them up in both small arms and tried to tuck them behind my right ear. I shivered at her unfamiliar touch, so foreign and small it felt like a dream or something. "Even though you were born today," I began, seeing slightly better as she proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Have you always been inside of me, seeing what I saw and feeling what I felt?"

She shrugged somewhat helplessly. "Ever since your mom made those," she spat, floating down slightly to jab at my stomach. She meant my scars. "That was the day when you began wishing for things to be normal, know what I mean? Your life changed so drastically that you began wishing to find who you are so you wouldn't be lost in the dark any more."

"Fat lot of good it did me." I leaned further into the couch until it appeared like it had eaten me. Old memories that I'd rather forget were being dug up, Lilith's words about my past being the shovel. I still remembered that first week I had been admitted into the orphanage, none of my relatives willing to take me in because of my mother's unwanted love for my father. I was like a zombie, not really feeling or seeing anything in front of me. I hadn't eaten, since everything made me feel sick. I hadn't slept, in fear of waking up to see everything changed like what happened after I left home to go to school and came back to find a demon in my mother's body.

Even though none of the kids there had parents, this one child, slightly younger than me and aptly named Mao, had jabbed fun at me because my mom had physically abused me. And so, almost unconsciously, I had abused him until he could barely breathe.

 _"Snow,"_ one of the caretakers had spoken to me softly as I was sent in my room to repent.  _"Why did you hit that boy until he couldn't move anymore?"_

I had been silent for a long time, my voice so unused that it took a while to summon up. But when I did, it was smooth yet flat, no emotion showing through it.

_"Because I wanted to."_

Back in the present, I heaved a large sigh as my chest felt like it had been ripped out, so filled with guilt and despair at hurting Mao (who surprisingly became my friend after that even though bruises were purpling around his eyes) that it made me want to wretch. I decided it was time for some good ol' food, the memories of starving for days making me starved again.

"Um…" I asked Lilith tentatively, who was jumping on the buttons of the TV remote. "Do you… you know, need to eat?"

Very abruptly, she stopped jumping and coincidentally changed the channel to a horror flick. It was one of those times in horror movies I hated, when one of the characters was all alone in a dark place with scary music playing and you knew something was going to happen. Just as the high-pitched, skin crawling music increased an octave, she slowly turned around to look at me like she was possessed by the Devil himself.

Before I nearly I screamed myself deaf, she rolled her flaming golden eyes at me. "Unless I want to starve, yeah. I may be what one would call a 'magical creature', but that doesn't mean that I don't have needs."

My eyes flicked from her back up to the flat screen of the TV. That character that was once all alone was lying in a puddle of blood. Eugh, I hoped that wasn't a premonition.

I shook my head, cursing myself for hating horror movies and letting them affect me so easily. Ever since Mao thought it'd be a fabulous idea to show me a bunch of ancient horror flicks on video cassette that we happened to find in some old boxes, I haven't been able to stand them. The flickering lights and lack of colour made him laugh, but they made me bleak and terrified. The phobia has plagued me ever since, just like my sudden dyrexia.

To busy myself away from thinking about stuff like that, about how some of those things may very well exist (after all, magical little eggs do, so why not), I began chopping up some vegetables bought right after school and before work to make a salad, and threw chicken on a frying pan to toss in later. It landed with a grimy sizzle that kind of put me at ease, since it reminded me of all those times I came home from school with my two adopted siblings, Theresa and Nate, to find Mary already at work in the kitchen. My apartment began smelling like home.

Except my home back in New Orleans  _did not_ include a very tiny yet very annoying person buzzing around my ears every few seconds. As I fried and I chopped, I wondered what I was going to do with her. Keep her with me always? It didn't seem like a bad idea, since apparently regular people can't see that Shugo Chara. And I couldn't just leave her home alone. From the few hours I had known her, she already seemed rambunctious and irresponsible, someone who did stupid things purely for entertainment. Keeping her by my side was probably my best bet. And, besides, what if Ikuto… or something else… tried to attack me again? I could only use my fists to defend myself, and when battling with magic, that seemed like a very unappealing idea.

 _Shit, almost cut myself._ For a bit, I tried to focus more on my chopping than letting my mind wander and risk losing a finger, but it honestly didn't last long. I dumped the rinsed and chopped vegetables into a salad spinning bowl and began to spin it all around. What about the other two eggs? Would they always buzz around me as well? It's not like I wasn't used to be constantly pestered; I lived in an orphanage for Chrissake. But by little mythological creatures seemed like a bit of a stretch.

As I put the finishing touches into my…  _our_ dinner, I wondered what would hatch out of the other eggs. I didn't understand how a missing element of myself was someone like Lilith; I didn't ever recall wishing to be a sadist. But maybe there was something I was missing when analyzing her. Or maybe… I just didn't know myself as well as I thought I did.

After eating everything up and gulping down a tall glass of root beer, Lilith's tiny little serving admittedly adorable, I did all my homework as well as I could with the way I was getting lost in my thoughts. When it came time for bed, I set my alarm for six thirty, and wondered where I was going to put Lilith and the other two. I decided on a little box I used for delicates in my moving, and stuffed it with the softest towels I could find, afraid of what would happened if my eggs actually ended up breaking.

Lilith didn't bother to thank me for putting food in her belly or making her a place to sleep, though I didn't expect her to. I kind of shrugged to myself while pulling on pyjama shorts with Hello Kitty on them and a spaghetti strap tank, then shut off the light on the wall beside my door. It was fairly easy to navigate through my room without the light on, since the balcony right outside shed enough moonlight in to practically light the entire place up. I made sure the door was locked, completely paranoid about  _everything_ , then snuggled into my blue and black floral duvet and cover. It had been a long, rough, completely random day, and I was knackered.

Just before I slipped into a comatose state, the way I always slept, I heard a very small and very sleepy "Goodnight" from where the box of eggs was stationed on the computer desk.

The inside of my chest suddenly felt very warm and very high. It was nice having someone to say goodnight to me again, which had stopped by the time I was eight. Maybe having three new housemates that didn't require much maintenance at all wasn't such a bad thing.

I had a new outlook on tomorrow for the first time since I moved here. I was actually excited when wondering what it would bring.

* * *

 

"I want pancakes!"

"Goddammit, Lilith, how many times do I have to tell you that we don't have enough time? Go shove yourself in the mix if you want them so damned badly."

My regret for ever having wished for something began in the morning, when Lilith was screaming in my ear as my alarm went off. I bolted out of bed with flailing arms and accidentally ended up flinging her across the room. But she got up as if nothing happened and continued to annoy the absolute living  _shit_ out of me as I got ready. While I had a quick shower, she kept singing 'Toxic' by Brittany Spears horribly off-key, wherever she heard that damned song. Almost immediately after I began worrying if she had access to all of my memories, like every single drop of water I'd seen or something and I wouldn't be able to escape from her.

She demanded I let her use my toothbrush, then she nearly choked on it. She tried to help me braid my hair, and ended up getting all tangled and painfully thrashed about. She threw my house keys at my head as I ate cereal, and thought that the best place to take a bath ever was the instant French vanilla cappuccino I had steaming in a mug. Now she was screaming at me about pancakes, and all I really wanted to do was throw her in the washing machine and sigh if she survived.

I was almost out the door when she screamed at me to wait. I whirled around with the most murderous expression on my face when I saw that she was pointing in the direction of my room, somewhat expectantly.

"What is it?" I asked, pulling on my DMs and tying them hurriedly.

"The other eggs," she stated simply, and it almost sounded like she was accusing me.

Once the leather laces were all tied, I looked at her sardonically. "Am I supposed to drag them around with me wherever I go until they hatch?"

"Yes, jerkass."

"What did you just call me? I wouldn't be insulting the person that feeds you."

"Just get the damn eggs, Snow, and then we can leave."

I stared at her with a sour expression on my face for a few moments, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine." I stormed back to my room, carefully scooped up the eggs in a towel and set them gently in my bag, then breezed out again, hardy even waiting for Lilith to catch up.

The elevator was tragically carrying the mother and son from my first night here, the little boy looking up at me with big, curious eyes. I leaned against the wall opposite them and looked away, not wanting to stare at them in the small space. The boy was wearing a small Spongebob backpack, meaning that he too was on his way to school. When I slid my gaze over to him just slightly, reminded of when I was like that with my father, I found him staring at the space Lilith was floating in and my heart fell to my stomach.

"Don't worry," she snorted, waving her tiny hand dismissively. "Children can see us because they have unclouded eyes and are free to imagine and see what they please. They also have their own eggs being born inside, unlike adults, who mostly destroy theirs on their own."

I wanted to ask her about that, but I didn't want the boy's mother to think I was talking to myself. Even if I did have wishes deep inside, I was an adult now. Why did I still give birth to my eggs? Would they even be around for that long? I'd feel pretty damn stupid if I worked in an office in the future and they were all buzzing around and putting weird things on my computer for my coworkers to see.

The image made chills run down my spine. That seemed like the worst thing that could ever happen.

The boy smiled up at Lilith. Being a total and complete idiot, she grinned so largely her eyes closed automatically and waved at him in super speed.

_Goddammit Lilith._

We stepped out of the elevator together, and I began digging my iPod out of my black blazer pocket. Lee was in the lobby, picking up mail it looked like, and as I shoved my earbuds in my ears, he smiled and waved at me. I returned it with a grin, my hands busy being shoved in my pockets again. I was left with my music, alone with my thoughts and such at last, and all Lilith did was make a sour face and tuck herself into the V neck of the blazer, her hair nearly blending right in with the red tie.

Not as many people stared at me near the school as on my first day, though I guess that was to be expected. I had been here for a week now, and everyone was calming down about the whole 'new kid' thing. I still didn't have any solid friends to speak of, though that was also to be expected. I had to try harder. I didn't want the only people I had as friends to be the little people that followed me around all the time.

As I walked, I realized that I hadn't really put any thought into what I wanted to do about the Guardians. Would it be worth changing my life to help them find this magic egg? Was I even worthy? Unlike them, all bright, popular, and cheerful, there was always going to be a wall separating me from everyone else. A wall that I create myself without realizing it, and no matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn't break it down anymore. What did I want to do? Did I really want to change?

Almost like a summoning, I heard a familiar, lilting voice call out to me, "Hisayuki-san!"

And so the King returns.

I turned around slowly, the fall breeze stirring the scratchy leaves on the ground and blowing my hair into my face. Normally, I would've brushed it away, but I kind of desired to hide at that moment. I had let Tadase-kun and the other Guardians down yesterday. I didn't want to see what expression he had on right now, positive it would be one of contempt or disappointment.

Even so, I heard his footsteps resounding on the pavement as he reached my side, and I could practically feel him smile at me. "The wind's getting stronger, don't you think?"

I could only nod, unwilling to let him see how much my face clearly expressed my self-loathing.

After walking for a few moments in silence, he took a deep breath beside me as I finally brushed my hair away. He exhaled quickly, a look of determination on his face. "You know, we haven't given up on you yet. All of the Guardians- myself included, of course- think you'd be a great addition. And you're plenty adequate for the position, don't you agree?"

_"The fact that you found about them today, as you are now and no one else… could it have been fate?"_

Ikuto's words flowed through my mind as I remained silent. Even if he was kind of a jerk, he did have a really nice way of putting things. Maybe the person I was right now was enough to join these people and be useful to them. I hated myself because I didn't believe in that. I hated how I didn't have any confidence. There was no excuse for my being like this, even if both of my parents abandoned me at a young age. I was always getting lost. The only one who could find the right way was me.

"Let me… think about it," I finally told Tadase-kun, looking at him head-on. I didn't want to avert my gaze anymore. I wanted to become someone stronger, a person who people would listen to, rely on, hold in high regard. And maybe that was why my eggs were born now of all times. Even though I had become an adult, I had only begun to face my own desires after coming to this city. That had to mean something.

Tadase-kun's expression was bright; blindingly so. His maroon eyes held a spark within them, almost like a blazing fire. "Really?" He asked, and I just shrugged. "That's great. I know you've been through a lot already, and that you didn't ask for any of this, but… I'd truly be indebted to you if you decided to join us."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, waving my hand dismissively. To be honest, I was embarrassed to even be having this conversation right now. I didn't care about him being indebted to me or whatever. I was doing this for myself. And besides… it did seem kind of interesting. A new spice in life I never knew existed.

"Snow-chan!" Called another voice from behind me, female this time, and very high-pitched and girly. I recognized it as a girl from my art class I spoke to since we were seat partners, Weiss… something foreign? Ugh, God forbid I actually remember the full name of a person who spoke to me. Though she seemed like the type of person to speak to less popular people because she pitied them, what with her gorgeous blonde locks always in doll-like ringlets and big gray eyes. From what I'd seen, she was always smiling and laughing with people.

I pointedly looked away from Tadase-kun and put a smile on my face. "Good morning, Weiss-san."

She caught up to us, bundled in a white fall coat and fuzzy blue scarf that seemed to keep blowing on and tickling her chin. "It really got cold all of a sudden," she giggled, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. I wouldn't know. It only occurred to me now that I had zero cold cover, making me seem highly out of place. If only I could just feel the cold like other people, instead of a weak breeze blowing against me constantly that had no effect. Even so, Weiss-san was still willing to speak and keep idle conversation going, and she didn't even seem to cower in Tadase-kun's presence.

"Good morning, Tadase-kun," she smiled at him, and he returned it. "Got anything special planned for the Guardians today?"

"Well…" he began, looking at me pointedly. I avoided his gaze by scratching the side of my head distractedly. "We're waiting for a new addition, to be honest."

"Whoa, really?!" Weiss-san's expression was one of pure wonder and thrill, surprising me. The Guardians were really that special? Did everyone look up to them like that? "Who?!"

"Well, if they do decide to join us, we'll announce it formally." I couldn't tell if he was being evasive to save me from embarrassment or questioning, or if he really wanted to keep it a secret. I didn't really care, either way, as long as I didn't stick out too much for now. There was already so many new things happening to me; I didn't need to be the center of attention as a new Guardian on top of that.

Weiss-san's lips, painted in a bright pink and sparkly gloss, slipped into a model-like pout. "Can't you tell lil' ol' me? I swear I won't tell another soul."

Tadase-kun actually let out a loud laugh, completely contrary to his gentle image. "Sure you won't, Yota-san."  _That_ was her last name. I should've remembered that. "You can wait for the announcement like the rest of the student body. It'll come as a surprise to everyone, that's for certain."

Weiss-san made a noise of irritation deep in her throat. "That's annoying. Oh well. That just adds to the mystery." She quickly stepped in front of Tadase-kun and I, halting our steady pace and causing our gazes to stray to her. She winked a misty gray eye and said, "Maybe I'll end up finding out myself."

 _Doubtful._ I let out a small smile and brushed past both of them, oblivious as to how to carry on a conversation with people like that.

And so began my day of unbelievable cowardice. Nadeshiko-san's gaze was always on me in English class- and I do mean always- and I deftly avoided it. In art, Weiss-san stationed herself beside me and began to rattle off theories as to who she thought the new Guardian would be (all wrong, of course), and I noticed that when she wasn't speaking at the speed of light, her eyes became clouded and distant, her sketchbook filled with idle, almost creepy scribbles of dark rooms and wide eyes.

Because I was so keen on avoiding the Guardians, I actually ended up eating my lunch in a supply closet. At least I had Lilith for company, though all she did was bark at me for being a wimp and avoiding my problems. I shook her off and changed the subject to something that had become an idle tickle at the back of my mind, only ignorable for so long.

"Weiss-san seemed kind of different today," I murmured between bites of my Caesar salad wrap.

"Really?" Lilith asked, taking a very small bite that was almost invisible. "I don't pay much attention to anyone but myself, really."  _I hadn't noticed._ "I feel like you just thought something really rude."

I popped the cap of my water bottle. "No. It's just that… I've always seen her so cheerful and stuff through the week, you know? But now it seems like the air around her is heavier, somehow."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I do feel something dark blooming inside of her." I filled the cap with water and handed it to her. She crossed her small legs on the white-tiled floor that smelled distinctly of disinfectant, took it in her arms, and chugged it down. "Though I guess hatching would be a better word."

My hand froze on the way to bringing the bottle to my lips. My eyes were wide as I flipped my gaze down to Thumbalina. "You couldn't mean that she has one of those things… um… an 'X-egg'?"

Lilith shrugged. "I don't know; I was just born yesterday. But I do feel like that's the case. They come from people with a problem or difficulty in their heart, right? Maybe Weiss' smile is just a complete reflection of how she's feeling on the inside; something that's flipped and the opposite, know what I mean?"

"I never… thought of it like that," I murmured into the dark room, licking Caesar dressing off my fingers.

"You're not the only one in this world with problems."  _Goddammit, Lilith, you're such a brat. How is it that I want to become someone like you?_

"Of course I know that," I said absently, letting my head fall against one of the many wooden shelves that held cleaning materials and… unidentifiable objects. "Everyone alive has a side of themselves that they keep hidden. We all have depth to our eyes, the windows to our soul. It's just… some people's acts and masks are so convincing, that maybe they themselves begin to fall for it." I shrugged, tapping my feet clad in knee-high black socks and red flats against each other. "That's something I know all too well."

Lilith shrugged in return. "Maybe you should ask her about it. You guys look like friends to the unknowing eye."

My heart skipped a beat at the word 'friends'. Did Weiss-san and I really seem that way? Because I really did hope that we could become friends. She was nice, and was just like Tadase-kun in the sense that they both emit a warmth like sunshine. I would be willing to listen to her problems. And maybe… she could listen to mine.

I let my head fall back some more so I was staring at the dark ceiling, which most likely housed some horrifying spiders. I felt like… I was ready for change now, for certain. I wanted to join the Guardians and help them. And maybe find myself along the way. That's what I came here for, anyway. I couldn't run away anymore.

With that in mind, third and fourth period flew past me in a blur of documentaries and baking cupcakes. I wanted the end of the day to hurry up and come so I could visit the Royal Garden, ask to join the Guardians, and cast away my embarrassment as soon as possible. So when the final bell rang, I practically leaped out of my seat and was speeding at the door like a bull tempted with a red cloth. I tried to keep my pace quick as I navigated my way through the halls, passed the bustling students that had no idea what could have possibly been going on with the strange student council of this school. They didn't know why I was in a hurry. They didn't know that my future could've depended on what happened today.

But when I got outside and started to head west (I think), the direction the Royal Guardian might've been in, I saw Weiss-san standing alone under one of the large oak trees, the leaves completely dyed red by the merciless autumn and making her seem much more solemn than usual. She seemed hesitant to move from that place. I froze on the marble steps, torn between two places that meant a lot to me. I could go to the Guardians any day, but now Weiss-san was alone and shaking just a distance away.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was already beside her and gently grabbing at one of her cream-coloured hands with my porcelain one, and her shocked gray eyes raised to meet mine, a few inches above.

"Sorry," I rattled, letting go after realizing that I was being rude by touching he so familiarly. "Um… it may not be my place to say, Weiss-san, but I couldn't help but notice that you seemed slightly different today." I cleared my throat, feeling like my heart had lodged itself in there, and asked, "Is there anything on your mind? Because if there is, I- I find it's always better to tell someone and get it off your chest. I'm willing to listen to anything you have to say, because I…"

My words got caught, my gaze falling to the dying grass at my feet. The students from the academy were already leaving, laughing and chittering in small groups and almost leaving her and I completely alone. "Because I want to be your friend," I finally breathed out, looking her straight in the eyes with my peculiar ones, hoping to convey all the feelings I didn't have the courage to say in one look.

Weiss-san seemed completely shocked at my words, from her wide eyes and slack jaw. But it seemed like I had hit the nail on the head when I thought something was wrong, because her mouth slowly closed into a tight line, and her eyes shone with unshed tears and overwhelming sadness.

"Snow-chan," she sniffed, trying to force a smile on her face. "You're so kind. Even if you think you aren't, there's always these little things I notice about you that make me think that." I was at a loss for words, both of our light hair brushing across our shoulders in the fall breeze. "You smile at people laughing around you, like you're happy for their happiness. Your eyes are really bright and attention-grabbing. I've… always wanted to be someone like you."

Before I could respond, she turned away from me to stare at the street beyond the wrought-iron gate, and her voice was heavy with emotion when she said, "I'm… supposed to get married."

I blinked rapidly many times, my eyebrows slashing down in confusion and shock. Lilith, who had been delicately perching on my shoulder and smugly listening to the conversation, fell off and face-planted on the grass.

"I'm the daughter of a famous company," she explained, and I couldn't help but think it was kind of clichéd. "So, naturally, they want to marry me off as soon as possible so someone can inherit it and we can produce an heir. I've grown up around teachings like that my entire life, but now that the time has come so quickly, I… I don't know what to do. I like someone else, actually, and just try and imagine me getting hitched. I think it's pretty difficult, actually."

"Um…" I couldn't really think of anything to say. There were no words of comfort I could give her, because I was extremely socially awkward, and I didn't properly understand her situation enough to sympathize with her. "Who is it… that you like?"

Even though I couldn't even see her, somehow I knew that she must've been blushing. She seemed like the type of girl to get all dreamy when thinking of love, her doll-like cheeks flushing a girlish shade of pink. "T… Tadase-kun."

Well. Even though I knew he was popular, I didn't exactly picture someone bright and loved by all like Weiss-san to fall for him. Just as Lilith was getting up, her arms gave way beneath her, and she was face-down on the grass again.

"But I can't tell him," she sighed, and it shuddered like her body was in that instant. I felt like I was suddenly looking in a mirror of the past, of the way I used to be when I was by myself and confused about everything. "I can't tell my parents that I don't  _want to_ get married when I'm sixteen. I can't even tell myself." She turned to face me again, tears streaming down her face, which was amazingly still that perfect cream colour compared to mine when I cried, which got all red and blotchy. "I'm such a coward. I care too much about what people will think of me. If only I could be brave, like you, and face every day with strong eyes and shoulders."

Her head tilted down as tears plopped into the grass. "But I can't. Because I'm not strong."

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. After all, I had recently learned that everyone had an egg in their hearts that contained their hopes and dreams. But there I was, standing with my jaw completely slack as a smoky, black mist began to coil up from Weiss-san's small and shaking body, her chest rippling like someone had dropped something in water.  _That_ was not normal. And suddenly, an egg emerged from it. Only it wasn't light and dazzling like mine were. It was pitch black and sinister-looking, a single white X bold right in the middle of it. It began to make weird  _moaning_ noises, like it was in pain, and Weiss-san's body unabashedly fell to the ground, her blonde ringlets spilling across the green grass like a fallen princess. Her face was a pallid shade, her body sweating, and eyebrows drawn down in pain.

All I could do was stare with puckered lips, like some kind of frozen fish.

"Snow!" Lilith hissed at me, completely recovered from her earlier shock and floating up to smack a small hand on my face. I turned my fish-face to her and she gave me a withering stare while shaking her head. "That's an X-Egg! You heard the Guardians; if it hatches, it'll have a negative effect on the owner. We have to stop it somehow. Weiss already looks like she's in labour or something!"

Astonishingly enough, I almost laughed at how ironic that was. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" I demanded, taking a cautious step back as the egg floated menacingly in place, the dark mist coiling around it. "I've never even seen something like this before! Look at it, I think it's growling at me!" It certainly was making strange grumbling noises, like something really was trying to be…  _birthed._ "What is it going to do? It's not like an egg can just float around attacking people! That's impossi-"

I was cut off by a very harsh and very heavy force hitting me smack in the left cheek, so strong that I was knocked off my feet. The egg floated above me like a predator giving its prey a fleeting glance before it devoured it. It took me a few moments to process that _the egg had just fucking attacked me._ Okay, so it could do that, and would not be safe to let fly around everywhere.

Before I could even understand what I was doing, I was up on my feet again, and the egg was in my grasp, wriggling and trying to get free. Its surface was smooth and cold, like one right out of the refrigerator, and it squirmed even more when I began squeezing. It was much harder than a normal egg, that was for sure, but the anger broiling up in me from its attack was pumping me with adrenaline, so much I began to hear it cracking.

"Snow, STOP IT!" Lilith screamed, her eyes wide with terror and fright. "If you break someone's egg, it's like physically breaking someone's heart! They will pretty much become dead men walking!"

My body felt so hot, boiling with rage. But even so, Lilith's words slowly began to register in my head, and I flung the egg away before I ended up crushing it. It sailed through the air for a bit, but quickly regained its balance and began flying back in our direction.

"X-eggs are pure evil and negativity," Lilith explained as angry little puffs of breath huffed out of my body, my chest heaving like I had run a marathon. "They don't hesitate to destroy things, like you were about to do because you were so angry. That egg is filled with anger, and we need to stop it."

"How?" I hissed between clenched teeth, watching as the egg darted behind trees to escape my surveying eyes. Luckily there were no students left milling outside, so this place had become a battleground just for us. "I didn't even know they existed until  _yesterday._ How on earth am I supposed to stop it?!"

"Um." She clearly had no idea either, judging from the way her eyes were darting around nervously and she was fidgeting like waiting to hear some big news. "Try… talking to it."

She dodged the fist I had suddenly swung at her just by a hair. "Listen! Maybe if you give that egg some encouragement, it could fix the problem in her heart?"

"That's an awful idea," I hissed, warily putting my fists in front of me like a boxer's defensive stance. "What would I even say to it? It's not like it'd listen anyway."

"Just try!" She screeched, getting frustrated. She began yanking on my hair angrily and she kept swinging around when I tried to swat her away. "Weiss-san is hiding her true feelings inside, and that's where the problem lies. She hates being unable to say what she wants. So encourage her! Tell the egg what it needs to hear!"

I could see its dark form swooping behind the curtain of leaves, like creepy eyes you always fear are watching you in the woods. It looked incredibly eerie against the setting sun, making the sky gleam like fresh blood. Weiss-san's body was now writhing on the ground in what I could only guess was pain, her sparkled mouth wrenching in silent screams. I didn't know what to do; heck, I barely even understood what was happening. But if there was one thing I did know, it was that I couldn't let Weiss-san keep suffering like this when she came to talk to me, when she shared her private troubles with me.

So I swallowed a huge gulp of air and my pride, and screamed at the swooping X-egg: "HEY!" It's oval-like form seemed to pause behind the trees, like it knew I was yelling at it. My thoughts sped through my head, trying to be processed quickly enough so I could say them.

Weiss-san and I… were the same.

There was so many things I wanted to say to so many people. I wanted to tell the kids that made fun of me at the orphanage that inside of my small, scarred body, my heart was completely shattered and the only one who could put the pieces back together was me. I wanted to tell my mother how much she hurt me, how she didn't even have the right to. I wanted to tell the Guardians why I was hesitating to join them, why I was pushing them away. I wanted to tell Ikuto Tsukiyomi that we were probably more alike than he thought. But I couldn't. Because I was afraid.

However. I knew what I had to tell that X-egg- no, what I had to tell Weiss-san. I needed to tell her the words I had always been longing to hear. That there was nothing to be scared of. Because you're the only one who decides whether or not you can be hurt.

"I know," I began, watching with a calculating, sympathetic gaze as the X-egg slowly poked its pointed top out from the tree's leaves. The wind began to howl, making Weiss-san's body collapse into shivers, and I knew I had to make this quick and I couldn't hesitate. My heartbeat was surprisingly calm and sure as my voice let out.

"I know when you're about to tell someone something that you've always wanted to, you feel sick to your stomach, and you feel like it's a bad idea. You leave it be, and you let your negative feelings pile up because you don't want people to judge you for letting them out. It's perfectly normal to be scared of that; it's what humans are. But do you really want to live with the regret? The regret of never having told your parents that you don't want to get married, of never telling that guy that you like him more than anyone? Because if you don't tell them, they will never, ever know. You will just let yourself suffer forever because you're scared.

"But it's not worth it," I continued, my voice raising in octaves as my conviction grew. "It's not worth the pain. It's not worth putting aside all of your feelings and wasting your hard work. Caring about what other people think, fiercely believing that you have no strength,  _none of that is worth it!_ Who cares what other people think? If you believe that no one else will believe in you or respect your decisions…" Oh god, I was running out of things to say. I was already stumbling over my words, trying to sort all of my thoughts out and somehow channel what I felt into that X-egg that could very well destroy Weiss-san. Then something clicked in my head with an almost audible snap, and I began moving towards the X-egg almost unconsciously to try and stop it from hurting anyone else. Lilith was whooping behind me like a personal cheerleader, and I pushed down the urge to just step on her.  _Goddammit Lilith._

"If no one else will believe in you, believe in yourself," I finished, lightly picking up Weiss-san's squirming body and hugging it. She was so warm, and her heartbeat was pounding against my arm painfully. "Because you're always going to be there to face the next day, even if you don't have courage. And you can believe in me. Because I'll listen, and I want to be there for you. I want to be your friend."

Weiss-san was noticeably beginning to squirm a lot less. Could my words have actually gotten through to her, despite the pain her negative feelings overwhelming her brought her? I didn't know. But the X-egg hadn't disappeared; it just kind of stopped moving to float blankly in the sky, almost as if it were staring at me.

I didn't know what to do.

But as soon as I thought that, as soon as I thought I was alone with this and that I'd have to do something drastic, I heard that light, strong, and familiar voice call out, "Hisayuki-san!"

There was only one person who could sound like that, and only one person who called me that.

I swiveled my head around to see the Guardians standing in a line, looking at me with bright, snapping encouragement and belief. Even though this was about Weiss-san, I could feel my chest clench with an unfamiliar feeling of fulfillment, like the lonely gap in my chest had been completely filled with their presence.

"Catch, Hisayuki!" Kukai-kun called out to me with his mischievous grin, and something arced through the air and caught the fading sunlight, casting prisms on the barren and empty school grounds. I caught it automatically, the heavy weight of the Humpty Lock giving me a strange sense of comfort. It shone, its "magic" powers seeming to swirl powerfully inside from the way colours seemed to be shooting out from it everywhere, lighting rainbows of hope on the disappearing day.

My mouth tightened into a thin line, and I gently set Weiss-san down, who began to shiver automatically. "Lilith!" I called, holding my hand out.

Back where I had been originally standing, Lilith's golden eyes brightened like a stoked fire, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Aw, hell yeah!" She exclaimed, flying at me like a menacing flying squirrel. She held her small hand out, and when it touched my palm, a warmth like being enveloped in a large blanket engulfed me.

There was that feeling of being underwater again, the strange slipping and sliding against my bare skin as new clothing formed (and why this happened was a complete mystery to me- kind of like putting on armour for battle, I guessed). My blood was rushing, the adrenaline pumping through my bloodstream again as I felt the wind blowing against cold-proof body, released from that strange place once more and facing the X-egg squarely.

"Character Transformation," I spouted, my mouth working on its own again. "Femme Fatale!"

Not that I knew what to do with myself now, anyway.

"What do I do?" I called back to the Guardians, my bare legs shaking in embarrassment and confusion. I would never be able to get used to the complete outfit change into something so revealing. And I wouldn't be able to understand it, either… though it was admittedly easier to move in.

"Purify the egg!" Nadeshiko-san called to me, Character Changed like the rest of the Guardians. My eyes widened in understanding. They came here to back me up. They came here to tell me that I wasn't alone, that they supported me when I wanted to help someone deal with their X-egg.

"And how do I do that?"

"Like we have any clue!" Yaya-san giggled, waving a baby rattle around like a maniac. "None of us can do it! Just hold it or something, and channel your feelings of wanting to save it into it, know what I mean?"

I really didn't. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the little menace, but it barely dodged as Kukai-kun suddenly came up behind it in an attempt to catch it with his outstretched hands. As a result of fleeing, it began coming straight for me.

 _Snow!_ It was Lilith's little telepathic voice screaming at me again, making me move to cover my ears and realizing it wouldn't do any good.  _Use the whip!_

"What will that do?" I demanded aloud, getting frustrated by standing there doing nothing like an idiot. I Character Transformed in the first place because I knew how much stronger it made me, but I didn't know where to go from here.

 _Just take it, and lash it so it's wrapped around the egg,_ she explained urgently.  _Channel your pure feelings of wanting to help Weiss into it! Since you have me with you, those feelings will manifest into something you could label as purification. It's like using holy water to exorcise a demon, you know?_ It was probably nothing like that.  _It so is._ Goddammit Lilith.

Nonetheless, I slid a hand beneath the handle of the whip vised around my leg, and snapped it in a high ark, more as a threat than an attack. I felt like my arms were moving automatically again, like this was something I'd done so often before that it comes naturally now. I happened to catch a drifting fall leaf that ended up getting snapped in two.

The X-egg was floating everywhere erratically, looking for an escape despite the four Guardians slowly enclosing it in a small space. It darted upwards towards the sky, and my eyes snapped up to it with the whip in my hand almost lashing out at it as if it was alive. It caught the egg easily, tightening its grip like a snake strangling a mouse. The scaly surface of my weapon really did move like that was the case.

Okay. Now I just had to channel my… feelings. I could do that. I closed my eyes to the point of squeezing and thought of wanting to save Weiss-san. Of wanting things to go alright for her and becoming her strength. Of wanting to become her friend. My entire body felt warmed like stepping into a warm bath on a cold day, though the analogy was lost on me. Somehow, I felt that warmth draining out of me and opened my eyes to see it become a physical thing, a single dart of light shooting up the whip until it reached the egg, encasing it in an ethereal light. It ceased its struggling almost immediately, like it was actually affected by the light shooting into it. Those were my feelings personified.

I was completely mystified. Things like this were really happening. This wasn't a dream. There was such a thing as magic and hope. With those words in mind, I smiled softly at the black egg shell that was slowly fading to gray, and then to a pure white, and said, "I want to save you."

It was like a miniature sun was beaming in the sky for a moment, and when said light faded away, what was left in its place was a white egg with a golden heart in the middle. So that's what a regular egg looked like, versus a character one. It floated gracefully down to Weiss-san as my whip retracted to coil around my leg again, and I didn't mind how strange it felt sliding against my skin. I was too focused on the egg sort of melting back into Weiss-san's chest, making her pained expression soften into one of peace and… bliss. She actually smiled a bit. Maybe it was possible that my feelings transferred from the egg and straight into her, and they were actually giving her some comfort.

"I'll handle cleanup," Kukai-kun said suddenly, breaking the somewhat melancholy silence in the blazing sunset. He hitched Weiss-san's small, skinny arm over his broad shoulder, and turned around to grin widely at me, that warm twinkle shining in his eyes. "Great job, Hisayuki. I couldn't have done it better myself."

I flushed, the emotion shooting through me resembling something like pleasure. I felt my school uniform slide into place as Lilith popped out of my chest like fired from a cannon, and she had this huge smile on her face.

"Aw yeah, we did it!" She screeched, holding out her tiny hand for a mini high-five. I smiled in amusement to myself, thinking that she was completely hopeless as her hand, small and warm, hit my palm, sending a bolt of warmth and comfort straight to my core. Even if I didn't want to believe it, Lilith really was a piece of me. It had only been a day, and even though she was so irritating I wanted to take a fly swatter to her face, I couldn't remember how it felt to be alone anymore. The very fact that she existed meant that there was still hope for me to change and become strong enough to face what was surely ahead of me.

* * *

 

"Have you changed your mind about joining the Guardians?"

I heaved a giant sigh torn straight from my throat and sank further into the white gazebo chair. We had literally just sat down in the Royal Garden, the Guardians dragging me back there as soon as Kukai-kun returned from the infirmary and telling Weiss-san that she had simply collapsed due to stress. I guessed she didn't remember a single thing about a magical egg suddenly emerging from her chest and me yelling at it like a crazy mofo… but what else did I expect. All of this did seem like a fairy tale, after all.

But how to tell the Guardians everything that was on my mind. I wanted to explain why I rejected their offer in the first place to start with a clean state and why I wanted to join them now, but it was hard and embarrassing to force my true feelings out of me. I understood how Weiss-san felt completely. Not to mention that they were all staring at me expectantly, pairs of maroon, gold, orange, and green eyes shining at me honestly.

Just as I was trying to put the right words together in my head, a strange sound cut me off. It was coming from my school bag, and kind of sounded like… cracking.

Uh-oh.

Surely enough, the purple and black lacy egg floated out from the flap of my bad, locking my face into a poker expression. Lilith sat up from her place on the table, chatting with the Guardian's Shugo Chara, and she looked incredibly excited. The egg made those odd cracking noises again, like pop rocks exploding in my mouth, and black fissures were bursting along the sides.

And then the top part popped off, so quickly and forcefully I had to duck for cover. The Guardians' expressions were a mix of surprise and joy as they regarded my new Shugo Chara. It was another girl, one with incredibly porcelain skin like a doll, and a haughty and- quite frankly- bitchy expression. Her hair was long and pitch black, like solidified shadows were spilling over her shoulders in long waves. Her eyes were violet, just like mine, but without the strange icy blue ring surrounding the pupil and matching flecks. With the dress she was wearing, black and white, long, and covered in ruffles and frills, she really did come off as some kind of old Victorian doll. It didn't really help that she was holding an incredibly tiny near-destroyed stuffed black rabbit in her arms like a shield.

"You're annoying me," she spat, right in my poker face. "Just be honest with yourself! Chara Change!"

 _What the-_ I got the strangest sensation, like something cool was sliding just beneath my skin and making my mouth and body move on their own. Without my consent, my body stood from my chair so fast that it scraped against the polished floor and fell back, and both of my hands were places sternly on my hips. I felt a strange, hat-like presence on my head, identical to the one my new small, nodding character was wearing.

"Losers like you should just listen up!" I screeched, the real me deep inside watching in horror as the whole scene played out before me like a bad dramedy. "I am not a very honest person, as you can probably tell. And even if I don't say much out loud, my thoughts are a completely different story, got that? I didn't want to join you guys because I've been through some stuff and done some things in my past that made me feel unworthy of being amongst light, popular, and strong people like you. But now I don't feel that way. I will join the Guardians and help you guys out, but I won't do it so you can achieve your lame goals, whatever they are. I'm doing it for myself, and don't you forget it."

As quickly as it had come, that strange new skin I was feeling slipped away, leaving me standing in the gazebo looking like some kind of tyrant. My face flushed an ugly, fire truck red as I watched the Guardians just stare at me with open mouths. Then, all at once, they burst into laughter. I strongly felt the need to slaughter my new Shugo Chara, whoever she was.

"Noted," Kukai-kun snickered, wiping tears from his eyes from laughing too hard. "Man, I was right when I thought you were interesting, Hisayuki."

"You're Character Change is just like Tadase's!" Yaya-san snorted, her Shugo Chara busting a gut along with her. "You're so compatible!"

Before I could snap at how stupid and ridiculous that comment was, Tadase-kun stopped chuckling and smiled at me with the most gentle and light expression. It made my breath catch and heart stutter, and the effect was so sudden I forced myself to look away.

"Hisayuki-san," he began, so I swallowed my pride and looked at him again. His eyes seemed to widen just a bit, like he was actually seeing me for the first time, then he coughed to cover up his hesitation. "We never thought of you like that. Everyone is an individual, and has their own past and reason for doing what they do. That's what I always thought about you, which is why I was prepared to wait for you to join us until you were ready. I really do think you're a good, kind, and helpful person who will be a great help to us."

Shocked into silence form his words, and having never received such compliments before, all I could respond to him with was one of my rare and true smiles, which seemed to surprise everyone more than the sudden Character Change (which I was still resenting and stewing over, but not as badly now).

"And on that note…" Nadeshiko-san began, her tone implying that they were all about to say something that I had almost completely missed in my embarrassment from listening to myself. They all grinned their unique, specific smiles in turn, then simultaneously said, "We welcome you to the Guardians, Snow Hisayuki!"  
Goddammit.

"My name is Vivian, by the way," said my new, irritatingly snooty character, who hmphed at me like she was queen of the damned world. "And you're welcome. You'd better take good care of me, Snow Monster."

…Why did I suddenly feel like the future laid out before me was going to be an extremely difficult one?


	7. Bonding

**Chapter VI**

**_Bonding_ **

Normally, one would think that the weekend is a huge break and relief from working and school and whatnot. After obtaining Shugo Chara, I found this actually laughable, because the last thing I had with them around me constantly was a break.

Since it was finally the weekend, and I had weekends off from working, I thought it'd be a good idea to use some extra money I ended up saving up from my trip here to go shopping for some personal furniture, like throw pillows, blankets, towels and the like. I ended up walking to a plaza a fair distance away from my apartment that contained multiple fast food joints, an EB Games, and a Winners. And I'll be damned if I didn't get lost on the way. My new character, Vivian, actually had to fly up in the sky, survey the area, then point me in the right directions.

When I got there, I was expecting to shop quietly, trying to decide what kind of colours I wanted in my apartment. That is not what happened at all. Lilith and Vivian- quite literally- flew through the doors and out of my sight. Thinking that it would be too much of a pain to look for them, I decided to shop by myself until they got bored and came back, which wouldn't take very long considering that the pair of them were hard to keep entertained. And they did come back… just swinging at each other and tossing pillows across the store, freaking innocent people out by hiding under the covers of sample beds then moving unexpectedly, and taking things out of shopping carts and making off with them. I was about ready to curl into a small ball and cry. It was like having two small, evil toddlers going everywhere with me, and they were out to ruin my life.

I thought my new character could be someone like who I really wanted to be, calm, cool, collected. And while Vivian was cool, she was haughtily so, and she considered herself to be like some sort of Victorian princess, and I was her servant instead of her master. Between her and Lilith, I was about ready to throw myself off my balcony when I got home. My tolerance level for bullshit had always been low, simply because that was the type of person I was, so the current situation was just plain ridiculous.

Since I just wanted to shop in peace, what ended up happening was me tying them together with a hair elastic and shoving them in my purse with the other egg, only allowing their heads to poke out. Vivian looked pissed, her black eyebrows drawn down so much that her eyelids seemed to disappear, and the eyes you could see were burning. Lilith was yelling words that should be censored from the ears of young children at me, saying that I should make everything red. I didn't disagree, since it was one of my favourite colours, but it got to the point where I just wanted to spite her.

 _Why are they like this?_ I thought idly to myself while examining a white, iron basket filled with throw pillows. I saw some that were a nice aqua colour with ornate swirling designs in a milk chocolate brown, and decided those were the main colours I'd use. They both ended up grumbling at me that they were plain, and I just rolled my eyes.

"How's the other egg doing?" I whispered to them while pawing through some extra blankets.

I think Lilith tried to shrug, but considering that her arms were restrained, she failed miserably. "Not even a crack," she said, not having to whisper since no one else could hear her. "Maybe it'll hatch soon, though. Who can say for sure?"

I sure hoped that this new Shugo Chara wouldn't be anything like the other two, otherwise I really would have to consider flinging myself off the balcony.

Interrupting my thoughts of pesticides to get rid of them was Vivian suddenly calling, "Yo, Yeti."

I turned an incredulous glare down to her head poking out of my purse. "You did not."

She ignored me completely, which made Lilith shake with silent laughter. "You're being watched."

Almost as soon as she said that, I felt a chill run down my spine, like someone had pulled back my shirt and tossed ice cream at my back. I desperately tried not to look anywhere but the bin in front of me, and made my voice go even lower. "Do you have any idea who it could be? Do they have Shugo Chara? Is that why they're watching me? What if they want the Embryo? Or what if they want you guys, like Ikuto?" I sucked in a small gasp. "What if it  _is_ Ikuto? What am I gonna do? I don't have any personal issues with him, besides the fact that he's kind of a perv, but he's officially my enemy now since he works for Easter and I'm a Guardian. Why are they enemies, anyway? Did Tadase-kun neglect to tell me, or did he and I forgot-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Lilith screamed suddenly, making me flinch. "You think way too much. And we don't know. We haven't really been around too many Shugo Chara since we were  _just born,_ so we don't know how they feel, aura-wise."

"Right," I grumbled. I found a pale blue blanket that went with my colour scheme, so I clutched my hand around it while thinking of what to do, my heart pounding in my ears. I could leave, but then if they were really serious about watching me, they'd follow. The best way to deal with a problem would be to face it head-on, something I had been neglecting to do for a long time. I needed to change, even if it started out with something small like this. So I steeled my shoulders and whirled around, seeing a flash of something the colour of platinum flit behind a shelf housing bedside lamps. Hair. A quick survey of the surrounding area proved that other shoppers were fairly scattered around, so I took a deep breath and called, "Who's there?"

The shelf rattled and the products on it shook, like the person in hiding had jolted in surprise from me noticing they were there. I could hear their quick, almost panicked breathing even from a distance, and the gears were clearly turning in their head. I dug my heels into the tiled floor, determined on standing my ground for once. I needed to be strong. Then I heard something like a sigh, and suddenly ironic laughter was ringing in my ears.

My eyebrows drew down in confusion and, well, horror. I watched warily as the watcher stepped out from behind the shelf, clearly thinking that hiding any longer was useless. I really had no suspicions on how they'd look, but when I actually saw them, I was taken by a lot of surprise.

It was like a doll come to life was standing in front of me. It was a girl, definitely a teenager, with light skin, big violet eyes, and long platinum blonde hair tied into high twin tails. She was shorter than me by a few inches, though I was still slightly intimidated by the glare that was on her face and directed at me. She was dressed very stylishly, with designer jeans, tall black high heels, a turquoise off-shoulder sweater and brown sequined scarf.

Why on God's green earth would a girl like her be stalking me in Winners?

"Looks like you caught me," she said, her voice high-pitched and smooth. A smirk twisted her otherwise gentle features as she regarded me, though there was a menacing gleam in her eye. I definitely felt like I didn't look my best in the presence of someone like her, just wearing black leggings, a long-sleeved purple plaid romper, and purple flats. Not to mention that my hair was in two long braids that fell to my hips. I probably looked like some sort of hick.

I was only able to mutter incoherent phrases, too shocked with the situation to say anything intelligent. She sniffed somewhat haughtily and said, "I know you're shocked, meeting someone like me."  _You were tailing me through a home décor store._ "But I have to ask that you keep it down. I don't want too many people bothering me while I'm out on business."

My Shugo Chara were staring at her like she was a three-dimensional puzzle they couldn't put together. I, on the other hand, could only blink at her and then squint. What was she talking about? Did she have some sort of misconception that people would care if she was in a department store? I didn't get it.

"Sorry," I began, stealthily sliding my purse behind my back slightly in case she had business with my Shugo Chara. "But… do I know you?"

Her jaw went slack and eyes wide. "Wh- what do you mean by that?" She demanded, crossing her arms. "There shouldn't be anyone who hasn't heard of Utau Hoshina."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I haven't. Care to share why you were stalking me?"

Something I said must've really set her off, because her face was gradually becoming red with rage and humiliation. "I am  _not_ stalking you," she spat incredulously. "And quit playing dumb. You must've heard my name somewhere." When I just looked at her almost pityingly, she huffed a breath out of her nose like a bull getting ready to charge. "Then you're  _highly_ uneducated. I'm just here to scope out the enemy."

The way she said 'enemy' made my defenses fly up. The chances that she wanted me for the Shugo Chara were increasing by the second, as was the heat of her glare. Before I could even say anything, she marched right up to me to stare into my eyes, and it felt like she was sizing me up. I kept my expression carefully neutral as her gaze skimmed me from head to toe, lingering with distaste on my white hair, purple and blue eyes, and height.

"What in the world does he see in someone like you?" She hissed, looking genuinely mad now. I had no idea who she was talking about, and nor did I care. Whoever she was, she was clearly up to no good and I didn't feel like standing around and getting insulted any more today.

I tossed the blanket in my hand in the shopping cart beside me and smiled emotionlessly at her. "Are you done? Because I have more pressing matters to deal with than some chick mouthing off to me like she's queen of the damn world." And with that, I whirled on my heel, grabbed the handle of the cart, and began pushing to the section where they displayed wall décor.

I didn't really enjoy being a bitch like that; it was just that I had no idea of what else to do, and she might've been after Lilith and Vivian. I clutched the handle of the shopping cart and ground my teeth together. I couldn't really trust anyone anymore. Not that I really did to begin with, but now I couldn't begin to even give anyone a chance.

Shopping had taken a short amount of time, surprisingly. I tried to get my mind off of that confrontation, and it didn't feel like that Hoshina girl was watching me anymore. I was able to pay for my items in peace, and once I carried my heavy bags from the store, I let Lilith and Vivian out of my elastic bind. They were clearly unhappy with me, and I didn't want them chirping in my ear the whole way home, so I said we'd stop at a café or something and they could have bites of any sweets I got. This seemed to appease them for a time, and we ended up making a short travel to a nearby Starbucks. Giving them coffee or anything sweet was probably a horrible idea, so I just got a couple pretzels and refused to give them a sip of my vanilla Frappuccino.

While they munched and bickered over who was taking bigger pieces, I chose to ignore them and sat at a lone table near the window. I crossed one leg over the other as I sat down and started sipping at my drink distractedly. It had been a week since I moved here, and I still haven't gotten anywhere near communicating with my mother. I needed to fix that. After all, that was part of the big reason I came here. I wanted to make amends with her, even if she did hate me for… whatever it was I did. It wasn't right of her to abandon me and not tell me anything, leaving me in the dark for thirteen years.

Besides, even though what she did left me with permanent scars… I already forgave her long ago. There had to be a reason why she did that. And I couldn't spend my entire life not finding out what it was. So here I was, in a big city with no one else, and struggling to adjust and find the right time to call her.

I dug my cell phone out of my purse and unlocked it. Before I had even left home, I looked up the number of the place she was staying and saved it into a note. With a deep breath, I flipped to it and stared at the title of said note, biting my lower lip.

_Vesania Asylum._

Just the thought of where she was shot chills down my spine. Apparently nearly killing your only daughter and flipping out on the whole neighbourhood and people who tried to help you was reason enough to be thrown in a nuthouse. People there were not all crazy like she had come, insanity eating away at her mind for god knows how long. I didn't understand why she would do that, and why she hadn't even protested or contacted me since she was shipped here. But one thing that I did know was just staring at the number on my phone made icy dread pool in my stomach like condensation dripping off icicles. I couldn't do it. Not right now, when I was still adjusting. I had to get used to the idea that I may hear her voice soon, so familiar yet unfamiliar that it was a song you heard once but forgot the name of and couldn't find it again.

I shoved the phone back in my purse, grabbing Lilith and Vivian's attention, then laid my arms on the table. I buried my face in them, feeling their stares tingle at the top of my head, while I carefully counted my breaths to calm down the panicked and almost frightened beat of my heart.

It was almost a blissful calm, my Shugo Chara understanding that I needed a moment to myself, when I heard a deep voice behind me ask, "Are you having an episode?"

I nearly collapsed sideways out of my chair. With a start, I whipped my head up and glared at Ikuto's face, his cheeks turned red from the cool air outside I couldn't feel. He looked honestly concerned, but there was amusement buried deep beneath that expressionless façade.

"I am  _not_ having an episode," I snapped, blushing in his very presence, for God knows what reason. I anxiously looked for something else to focus on and came up empty. "And don't even joke about that. They aren't fun."

Now he just seemed surprised. "You mean you've had one before?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business," I snapped, grabbing my Frappuccino and slurping obnoxiously loudly.

He pulled a chair from the table behind me and plopped it right in front of me, making a high-pitched scraping sound tear across the floor. He slid in the seat with the grace of a cat and smirked deviously. "If it's about you, I'd like to make it my business."

That made another blush crop up. Sheesh, why couldn't he leave me alone? We barely knew each other, and yet he felt compelled for some strange reason to shamelessly flirt with me… which I obviously didn't mind as much as I let on since I wasn't making any move to run away. I mean, come on. He was hot, godly so, and it did seem like he had more depth to him than he let on. Classic story of teen angst. Plus he played the violin. I didn't know why I found that so compelling, but I'll be damned if that didn't make me kind of bubble up on the inside. I was ashamed of myself.

"Can you please leave me alone? I'm kind of busy here," I muttered, setting my drink down in frustration and gesturing to my Shugo Chara, who had both edged closer to me as soon as he strolled on in. His was noticeably absent, but I didn't mention anything. Since he was an "enemy" now, it would probably be better not to let on that I was interested and curious to what he did. I had always liked mysteries. Now a mysterious person appeared in front of me- who claimed to be a cat- so I was all over this.

He completely ignored me, though, and scooped my drink into a hand. Before I could say anything, his lips went over the straw just where mine had, and I couldn't believe how red my face must've looked. I usually didn't mind sharing my drinks or anything like that, but with him it was just… He made a face at it and shivered slightly, setting down in front of me again. "How can you drink something like that when it's so cold?" He asked, glaring at his surroundings. I guessed he was the kind of guy who hated anything cold, and preferred to snuggle up with the girls he charmed…

I made a face right back. "I don't know. I'm immune to cold, but sensitive to heat."

He looked amused. "Just like a snow woman."

"Okay, what are you trying to accomplish with your horrible jokes?"

"That was an observation, smarty pants," he said with an eye roll, and to be quite frank, I really didn't want to listen to him anymore. I was thinking about something kind of important.

"Did you need something?" I demanded, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. "I was on a bit of an excursion when you bumped your way in here."

He had the grace to shrug. "I saw you through the window and you looked like you were about to faint or something. I was curious if I had to drag you out of here or not."

"Why would you care?" I snapped, getting defensive from the way he was paying attention to me. I wasn't used to it, and I didn't want to be if he was just going to get in the Guardian's way from… whatever they were trying to achieve. "We're enemies now. What does it concern you if I jump off a bridge? Just one less thing to worry about, right?"

He actually looked horrified. "What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not a heartless murderer, Snow. Well, to be fair, I'm not a murderer. Not so sure about the latter."

"Then you can join the club," I grumbled, tearing my eyes away from his deep, inquisitive gaze and staring out the window. I was going to wait everything out, with the Guardians, with my mother. What I was doing with my life right now strangely left something to be desired. It really did feel like there was just empty space where my heart should've been, a hollow in my chest that couldn't be filled. I was well tuned enough with myself to know that I was secretly looking for something to fill the void, hence my sudden decision to make amends with my mother and help strange teenagers search for a magical egg to grant their wish.

"You're making a grumpy face," Ikuto 'observed' again, cocking his head to the side.

I rolled my eyes. "Like you're one to talk. It's like you're permanently grumpy. I'm like a preppy cheerleader compared to you."

"I can't really argue with that," he admitted with a low chuckle that seemed to reverberate throughout my entire body.  _Christ Almighty I don't know what that is._ "Though I seem to be getting a lot more expressive lately according to… someone."

He was trying to pique my curiosity, and he knew it had worked when my eyes snapped to meet his again, and there was a smile in them that wasn't present on his face. That 'someone' he mentioned must be very familiar with him to notice when his countenance changed. I wished I could be that way with… someone.

"I have to go," I said suddenly, grabbing the handles of my plastic Winners bags and tugging them off the ground. My Shugo Chara nonchalantly floated over to rest on my shoulder, their weight next to nothing, though they still looked alert around him. "I have to bring this stuff home."

"You live alone, right?" He asked, a very odd question in light of our recent conversation.

I raised an eyebrow challengingly. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged, his expression seeming to snap to the 'Off' switch again as his face slowly fell into one of boredom and disinterest. "Just curious. You bought an awful lot of things just to be living and shopping for someone else. Plus you were new in town and alone when we first met. If you were living with someone, they should have the courtesy to pick you up since you seem to be severely lacking in both the common sense and direction department."

I opened my mouth to argue, realized that I couldn't because he was right, then shut it again with a snap of my teeth. "You really pay a lot of attention," I muttered, scooping my drink off the table. I almost took another sip when I remembered that it would be an indirect kiss. The concept was immature, sure, but it made me think of actually get close enough to him that our lips were actually touching...

Upon realizing what I had been thinking about, I dropped a bag and slapped myself in the face. The look on his face became startled and somewhat appalled as I picked the bag up again, my left cheek stinging were I had slapped it.

"I hope that's not normal for you," he said quietly, his eyebrows slashing down in legitimate- and somewhat insulting- concern.

"Of course it's not," I hissed, blushing furiously and turning away. "Don't follow me, please. I need to be alone right now."

As I walked out of the small café, with my sensitive hearing, I could hear him mumble while staring at my discarded drink, "Don't we all."

* * *

 

"She has to find out sooner or later."

Everything was so fuzzy and out of focus. The sounds were leaking into my ears almost like trying to listen to a conversation through static, almost completely unintelligible. I couldn't see anything, and it took me a while to realize that was because my eyes were closed. I had been sleeping, and as I slowly awakened more and more, the numbness of unconsciousness fading from my body, I could feel things around me- my duvet, the pillow under my head, another pillow in my arms which I was squeezing like a child's teddy bear, my hair tickling the side of my face as it cascaded down the side of my bed that wasn't against the wall. Was I dreaming? Or had something woken me up?

Almost as if to answer my question, the noises I had been hearing earlier- voices, apparently- continued their conversation. Considering how small and high-pitched they were, I knew it was Lilith and Vivian speaking, trying to converse in hushed tones but failing miserably. "And she will," Vivian's voice said, apparently continuing from where the first voice (Lilith) had left off. "But we can't be the ones to tell her."

Knowing what she was like, I imagined Lilith making an exaggerated gesture. "But she's coming closer and closer every day! I mean, we were only born recently. Do you know what that means? Deep down inside,  _it's_ gradually awakening, and it could come out any day now."

"I know," Vivian sighed, as my brows furrowed in confusion. What were they talking about? I picked apart the pieces of their conversation I heard so far to try and define what it was about. The 'it could come out any day now' sounded like something being born; maybe they were referring to my other egg? It was hard to think straight when I had been rudely awoken and my brain was still dumb from sleep.

"Even if we did tell her," my newest character continued in a growl. "Do you really think she'd believe us? She's been a hard-core believer in all things science for most of her life. She even had trouble believing in us until we appeared right in front of her."

I still couldn't understand. All I really wanted was for them to stop talking so I could drift off to the comfort of sleep again.

But those thoughts were chased away when Lilith sounded seriously furious. I had never heard such heat and rage in her voice before, and I knew that her anger would always be a rare thing. "So you want us to wait until it actually happens and completely takes her over?  _We can't do that, Vivian._  Think about how much pain and suffering she'd be in. The girl we know could never come back to us again. She just started a new life here, and it could be gone before she can even blink if we let  _that thing_ keep gaining power inside of her!"

"Lower your voice," Vivian hissed. "You'll wake her."  _You already have, pricks._

"Good! Let her know what we're talking about. Let her know what danger she's in."

"She'll know eventually. There's still plenty of time until that day comes. Besides, I think there'd have to be a catalyst for its awakening. And just remember that we're not the only ones who know about it. He's right beside her, even if she doesn't realize it. He's watching over her as we speak." Vivian finished what she was saying with a deep, heavy breath, and there was a slight thump in what seemed like the distance as she most likely took a seat.

Lilith must have been shaking her head, because her voice travelled left then right, left then right. "I don't like it. Who says we can trust him?"

"Lilith, be reasonable." It was surprising me that Vivian was being very calm and collected in this situation, considering how  _rebellious_ she acted today. But the conversation between them was gradually making less and less sense as my eyes became heavier and heavier, my body unconsciously snuggling further into my blankets and sheets that smelled of sweet, fresh fabric softener.

"I know we can trust him." Vivian's voice was getting further and further away, as if I was listening to its echo from one end of a dark tunnel while she was at the other. "He's always been protecting her. He loves her, Lilith, even if you don't see it. They are family, after all."

"Not that she knows that," the former grumbled, and there was another soft thump as she laid down. "Fine. I won't say anything for now. But just keep in mind that when the other egg hatches, we'll be even closer to the day when she loses control completely. And all that will be left- in all of our futures- is ruin."

"I know that," Vivian murmured softly, her voice so calm and soothing, it was a lullaby. I let myself gratefully slip back into unconsciousness, so comfortable and warm and secure it was like nothing was wrong with the world.

Then I had a nightmare of standing over the Guardians, my Shugo Chara, and my adopted family, their bodies piled under me, and my hands dripping in their blood.

"Ack!" I awoke with a start so abrupt that I flailed about, looking to hurt the source of danger that didn't exist. My hair was left in straggles on my face, and I desperately swiped it away like it was some sort of white beast clawing at me to take me away. Vivian and Lilith were both wide awake now when they hadn't been earlier, their eyes wide and hair mussed, like they too had tossed and turned all night.

"What's the matter?" Vivian demanded, her little voice hoarse, eyes disconnected.

It took me a moment to respond. I had to calm my pounding heart, which was burning its way up my throat, and try to even out my breathing. "Nothing," I managed to finally choke out, sweat beading on my forehead. "Just- just a nightmare. It was nothing." But that was a lie. Why on earth would I dream up something morbid like that? There must've really been something wrong with me. I shook my head viciously to chase the dream away, and forced a smile on my face as everything gradually came into focus now that I was fully awake. "Morning," I greeted them.

They exchanged a look I couldn't quite define. Then the pair of them muttered "Morning" back in synch. I stared at them for a moment, feeling like there was something I should remember about them, then shrugged to myself and tore the curtains to my window open.

It looked so nice outside, with the sun only peeking out behind clouds, meaning it wouldn't be too hot. I could see the wind rustling trees in the distance, casting scarlet leaves in a tumbling dance to the ground. People milled about here and there, and I suddenly realized that I was already becoming accustomed to the view from my balcony. This really was a lovely city, even if some of its residents were kinda sketchy, and a bunch of powerful Shugo Chara holders gathered here.

And there was something else that disturbed me- something that took away from my gorgeous view of the city, hulking around in the distance like a menacing shadow. A rectangular, dark, and ominous tall building stood in the distance, boasting a sign that simply read the word 'Easter' in bold, sleek, silver lettering. I narrowed my eyes at it. It couldn't possibly be the same Easter the Guardians were fighting… could it? I mean, it seemed like an awfully important thing to get a building like that, and no way would a group of highschoolers go against a big corporation.

Satisfied with my own resolution, I began busying myself with getting ready, Lilith and Vivian dragging themselves behind me the whole time. The Guardians staged a meeting at one of their houses every Sunday before school, so they could prepare documents and announcements and such before the week began. I was informed on Friday that today the meeting would be at Tadase-kun's house, and Yaya-san gave me really obvious directions that looked like they had been written for a child. I scowled at them at the time, but now I knew I'd probably need them. The view I had just been admiring was a large one indeed, and God knew how I was supposed to get anywhere with my sense of direction- or lack thereof.

I was towel drying my hair, smelling strongly of sweet pumpkin pie in honour of autumn, and getting myself breakfast when Lilith asked an odd question.

"Snow?" She began. I turned from frying my bacon to look at her inquisitively. "Have you been feeling…  _strange_ at all?"

I snorted. "What, you mean besides giving birth to three eggs that magical little characters popped out of?" When she kept her serious face on, I relented the teasing. "I feel perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"

She opened her small, pink mouth like she wanted to say something, but Vivian's eyes that cut like shards of violet glass shut her up. She pressed her lips together, then suddenly transformed into the Lilith I was gradually getting used to, with the wild crimson hair and wicked grin. "Just wondering," she said with a snicker. "Things have been changing for you rapidly, is all. Plus you've got homework, your job, and your own house to clean now. It's a pretty big change."

I turned the stove off and mulled that over for a moment, tossing the subject around in my head like rolling a mint in my mouth. "I haven't really noticed," I murmured slowly with a slight shrug. "I've been doing stuff like this most of my life. Back in New Orleans, I helped Mary run the bakery when I got home earlier than Theresa and Nate. Plus I helped take care of the younger kids at the orphanage." I tapped my skull for a moment with a slight grin as I took in the sight of two thumb-sized girls casually sitting on the island, Vivian clutching her stuffed rabbit like a shield, Lilith sitting cross-legged despite the very short shorts. "I'm used to this stuff."

Taking the bacon out of the pan, I let it sit for a moment in a paper towel to drain the grease. While I waited, I toasted rye bread, sliced tomatoes and chopped lettuce, Lilith and Vivian watching in silence the entire time.

"It is kind of strange though," I continued, taking another break to scan my eyes over my whole apartment. "To be here without any other people with me. And I don't mean to be discriminate against you guys; it's just that you're still kind of foreign life forms to me." My eyes took in the small steps leading to the snug little living area, with new throw blankets and pillows arranged neatly on my couch and loveseat. "It's just weird to think that I'm not sharing this with anyone; I'm always going to be by myself here- except for you guys. It's nice, but at the same time, it's lonely, you know?"

"We know," the said in unison again, glaring at each other slightly.

I laughed and sat down at the island, hungrily tearing through my sandwich, just a mouse with a broken leg in my grasp while I was a ravenous eagle or something. Once finished, I chugged down a glass of milk, then checked the time. It was just a little past noon, and we were meeting at Tadase-kun's house at one. I figured it was better to leave now in case the trek took a while- or if I got lost.

I threw on a red scarf and my boots, casting a glance at Lilith. "Will you be cold?" I asked her.

Making a show out of her answer, she hugged herself and shivered. "Of course I will be. I'm so tiny the wind blows straight through me- or it can blow us away at times."

The thought was hilarious, and I burst into laughter, Vivian chortling along with me even though she could easily be stolen by forces of nature as well. With a scowl, Lilith stuffed herself between my scarf and neck to stay warm, and Vivian followed suit. It felt so strange to feel two very small beings breathing against me, to hear tiny hearts pounding in their chests. They were very much real and alive, and that fact really began to sink in when their bodies gradually began to heat up my neck with their natural heat, small as it was.

Smiling to myself, I shut off the lights, grabbed my purse, and locked the apartment door as I stepped out. A familiar face was following the same pattern as I was, and I smiled in greeting at him. "Good afternoon, Lee," I said cheerfully, my mood increasing bit by bit from the rut I was in when I awoke.

He smiled back at me, flashing straight, white teeth that any model would kill for. He was awfully attractive for an adult, I had to give him that. "Afternoon, Snow. Where are you headed today?"

I shrugged as we both started towards the elevator, finding it incredibly weird that he couldn't notice the small people snuggled up against my neck bickering at each other. "Some kids from my school and I are talking about club activities at one of their houses'."

"You've made friends at school?" He asked in confirmation. I thought for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. He flashed me another dazzling smile, his black hair falling into his eyes even though most of it was in a ponytail again. "That's good. Someone like you deserves them."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Someone like me?"

"You know," he began with a bit of an exaggerated eye roll. "Nice and polite. I notice you come home after school, go out, then come back later in the night. You're working, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway. "Yeah. Got to pay the rent somehow."

"I've never seen a person so dedicated to hard work before."

We were in the elevator, that precise and crisp citrus scent lingering again. I pressed the button that would take us to the lobby, grinning to myself and saying, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I'm not trying to get anywhere," he said completely nonchalantly, like an adult like him being nice to me for no reason was an everyday thing. "I'm being serious. Someone still in school, working a job, and taking care of an apartment on their own? That's pretty impressive."

I flushed while nervously wringing out my hands. Lilith and Vivian were giving me a scrutinizing glare from where they clung to my scarf, and I ignored them. "I'm already an adult," I said simply with an impish grin. "I would've had to take care of myself eventually, anyway. I just got started earlier than most."

As soon as I said that, I began feeling immense regret. Not because I was embarrassed about saying it, not because it sounded like I was fishing for sympathy or anything. But because Lee suddenly got this look on his face that took my breath away and made empathy well up in my chest, a balloon with water pouring rapidly into it. His eyebrows slashed down and his jade eyes sparkled, filled to the brim with emotion and pain. His mouth turned down, altogether making him looked so devastated and  _guilty_ that I knew I couldn't even begin to understand what he was thinking about- nor did I want to.

"Is something wrong?" I asked softly, moving to- I don't know, touch his black sleeve in comfort or something. But I wasn't able to, since he glared down at my hand like I had just smeared it in wet paint or something, and I flinched and dropped it to my side. Had I done something wrong? Maybe I was being too familiar with him. I was an idiot. The atmosphere in the cramped space was suffocating and uncomfortable, and I couldn't wait for the ride to be over.

Thankfully, the ding of the elevator coming to its stop saved us from any more awkward silence. I practically scrambled out of it and was about to head for the exit, but then I felt a hand grab my elbow gently, like I was made out of glass and could break any second. I looked back incredulously to find that Lee had just stepped out after me and seemed to be looking at me in almost a pleading way.

"I… I just- nothing's wrong," he said finally, shaking his head adamantly. He dropped his hand and stared down at it like I really had rubbed something off on it, then clenched it into a fist. "I…"

He began purposely heading in the direction of the other exit, leaving me standing there, mouth agape in a dumbfounded way. "I'm so sorry," he called before he was out of sight, and my eyes widened just as his form ducked out of the other door.

What was he apologizing for? I barely knew the guy. Maybe it was because of his rude conduct just a minute or so ago? I had no clue, and I got this strange, wriggling feeling inside of my chest that told me I didn't want to know, either. Whatever was on his mind was none of my business, nor should it ever be. I shook my head adamantly, almost missing the suspicious glance my Shugo Chara shared, like they did know why a complete stranger was behaving like that towards me.

I exited the building quickly, not wanting to be late, when a voice came out of nowhere and scared me out of my skin: "What took you so long?"

My knees had given out from surprise, leaving me quivering on the ground as someone giggled above me and asked if I was alright. I glanced up frantically to find Nadeshiko-san standing above me, holding out a hand to help me up.

"Don't scare me like that," I hissed, standing on my own and brushing wet gravel from my knees. Her hand dropped slack to her side, just as Lee's had after he grabbed my arm, and an unwanted pang resounded in my chest.

"Sorry," she continued to giggle, her dark hair falling into her eyes slightly. She had it done slightly differently today, half-up and half-down, almost like mine. "But your reaction was well worth it." She must've just noticed the somewhat melancholic look on my face, because she sobered and her eyebrows drew down in worry. "Is something wrong? I really didn't mean to scare you that much."

"I know you didn't," I assuaged, smiling nervously. "Just… I was thinking about some things. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Well," she began, placing her hands on her hips with a satisfied grin and nodding. "The other Guardians and I thought it might be a good idea for me to escort you to Hotori-kun's house today, since you're still relatively new to the city and…" She trailed off, sharing a glance with her Shugo Chara- Temari, I think?- and sparing my feelings.

Though there was no need to. I got the picture. I made a sour face and avoided her gaze. "And because my sense of direction is nonexistent. I get it."

She smiled at me in comfort. "Now, now, it's nothing to be ashamed of. No one has a perfect sense of direction. Plus, this will give us time to get to know one another! Doesn't that sound nice?"

I tried to smile, but it came out looking like a weak grimace. Completely unaffected, she simply laughed cheerily at my expression and began walking away. It made me uncomfortable to be walking next to a girl like her, her steps fluid and graceful while my walk was more of a stomp made to kill ants. I looked like a peasant next to her, if we were being honest, and I felt even more out of place when I saw the cream-coloured fall coat clinging to her slender frame like a second skin.

Heaving a sigh that ended up looking like a puff of steam in the apparently cold air, I pulled my crimson scarf further over my mouth and stared straight ahead.

"Hey," Nadeshiko-san said suddenly, shifting her gaze back to me and wearing a grin identical to Temari's.

In return, I raised an eyebrow. "Hiya."

"I have a question for you."

My eyes narrowed slightly as my eyelashes began to stick together from the cold. "Shoot."

"There's really no roundabout way to go about this, since you seem like you're the dense type," she began with a slight, girlish sigh, earning a surprised glare from me.

"Hey," I chirped, but she ignored me, and looked at me over her shoulder with a serious expression.

"Do you like Hotori-kun?"

"Uh…"  _Why do I feel like she means that in a way I don't want to think about?_ "I guess? He seems like a nice guy…"  
Her amber eyes darted heavenward. "I knew that was too indirect for you." I scowled at her. "What I meant was, do you  _love_  him?"

I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground.

The flow of human traffic behind me began sputtering and cussing as I held them up, navigating their way around me in a storming kind of way. Nadeshiko-san waited patiently for me to gather my bearings, which meant slowly forcing myself of the ground and looking at her incredulously.

"Why on God's green earth would you think  _that?_ " I demanded, glaring at her wildly. My Shugo Chara were none too pleased with my little tumble, their disgruntled forms hanging on for dear life at the low cut of my sweater.

Nadeshiko-san smiled like a wise woman, her eyes twinkling. "Well, just the way you act around him. You seem brighter around him, and you pay attention whenever he speaks, when it seems like you just ignore the rest of us." She rolled her eyes and snidely added, "Like we're purposely trying to annoy you."

"Oh," I murmured slowly, flushing in embarrassment. I had hurt their feelings by being the way I am. I avoided her gaze and said, "I'm sorry if I ever hurt your feelings." When she flashed a reassuring smile back at me, I switched gears to the matter at hand. "But  _no,_ I do not like him like that. I barely know the guy! I mean, sure, he is really cute, and just being around him makes me feel a lot better than I usually do, but-" I cut myself off when I saw Nadeshiko-san and all the Shugo Chara present grinning from ear-to-ear. "Oh, come on! It's not like I really know how to behave around guys in the first place."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded like "well you seem to be doing just fine". I ignored her and placed my hands on the curves of my hips as we kept walking. "Not like someone like me would stand a chance with him anyway."

I swore she made the very un-ladylike gesture of rolling her eyes at the comment. "Please. But if you insist, I won't push you for details." She stopped walking for a second, waited for me to catch up, then fell into step beside me with a friendly grin. "Just know that I'll support your decision. We are, after all, surrounded by fairly attractive guys."

"You can say that again."

"We are, after all, surrounded by-"

"Please stop, it's already too much."

As she giggled, I still felt tempted to correct her by saying that I wasn't really planning to like anyone around us, but then she saved me the trouble when her countenance darkened beyond recognition and her laughter ceased. "Except for if you're interested in Ikuto Tsukiyomi-san. Then I don't think I'll be able to cheer you on."

Almost losing my footing again, my face flushed inexplicably and I groped for words. "Wh-why would I ever want to start liking him?" I demanded, my breathing coming out more quickly and my steps increasing in speed along with it.

She cast me a wry look. "You knew each other before you even met us Guardians." It wasn't a question.

I could only blink as the red drained from my face. "Well, yeah. But it was pure coincidence." Hesitating for a moment, I carefully added, "We're not even friends or anything…"

Letting my gaze travel to hers for a moment, I saw that she had a very pensive look on her gentle face, her full mouth set in a grim line. Her eyes flicked to mine, and only then did I notice with astonishment that we were around the same height. "Are you sure it was only a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?" I asked through narrowed eyes. Though I had already considered the possibility I knew she was about to voice, it was still kind of a shock to hear out loud, since I didn't really believe it given the circumstances.

"I mean, what if he sensed your eggs before they were even born and purposely got closer to you?"

"Somehow I doubt he even thought of that," I said, a heavy sigh ripping straight from my throat. "But then again, what do I know about him? Not a whole lot, to be honest. Can I be frank with you?" I asked suddenly, and even though we weren't really friends, I still wanted her to know what I really thought.

One of her dark, plucked eyebrows rose. "Please do."

"Honestly, I don't really think Ikuto is really all that malevolent. I mean yeah, he works for Easter, and they're the whole rival vying to get the Embryo against you guys…  _us…_  but he's only one person in the entire company. I'm not sticking up for him or anything, because I have no clue what he's done, but what if he thinks differently from the rest? What if he doesn't  _want_ to hunt for the Embryo?"

She was giving me an odd, curious look. "Why are you so adamant about defending him like that?"

Since I didn't know myself, I could only shrug.

She heaved a graceful sigh. "Your compassion will be your undoing," she warned, and I nodded mutely, sincerely hoping I wasn't wrong.

Sensing that I had nothing else to say, Nadeshiko-san dropped the subject, but she still looked thoughtful about it. I rolled my eyes. Was there some unwritten rule that all teenagers had to fall for someone no matter what? Because if there was, I was breaking it, and I had been for a while. Nor did I plan to develop feelings for anyone soon… I think.

"We're here," Nadeshiko-san suddenly said, startling me out of my teen (adult?) angst. We had gradually navigated away from the more modernized area of the city and were in of a more residential neighbourhood with large, manor-styled houses, all beautiful on their own, but the mountainous juggernaut of a house in front of us took the cake.

I had never seen anything like Tadase-kun's- or Tadase- _sama_ 's, from its obvious sign of wealth- house before, so large and extravagant it seemed more like an oriental-styled mansion than just a  _house_. It was enclosed in a large gate that covered the perimeter of the lot in a square shape, all in monochromatic colours of black, white, and gray. The house itself was a main building with multiple open hallways leading to smaller ones in a maze, complete with dark, rounded shingles on the pagoda-peaked roof. For some unfathomable reason, I could hear water trickling from within the gate, and was so intimidated I felt tempted to turn tail and run.

"Well" was all I managed to choke out.

Nadeshiko-san grinned at me, clearly amused and pleased at my reaction. "Marvelous, isn't it?"

"That's… one word to use." Another one I'd use was terrifying. While the structure itself was totally refined, impressive, and altogether very unique, it seemed like the kind of place where a Japanese slash flick would take place. The fact that one of my movie escapades with Mao was  _The Grudge_ wasn't really helping any.

She smiled at me in that kind, comforting way again, and strolled up to the gate like this could've been her own house. There was a high-tech system that involved cameras, speakers, multi-coloured buttons, and a buzzer that I didn't even try to understand, but Nadeshiko-san walked up and pressed one easily without even having to think about it. After a few frantic heartbeats of mine, a crackly, mechanical voice spoke from one of the speakers: "Come in".

"Do we have to?" I whispered to my only human companion, earning me an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

"Lighten up," she sang cheerily as she pushed the heavy wooden gate open, and I got the distinct impression that I was entering a mighty fortress.

Now that we were inside of the premises, I know what the tinkling water was all about. A small coruscating pond flowed throughout the area, a small wooden bridge built over it that began a path to the main house. Rock gardens swirled like mandalas on the ground, bordered by flourishing plants bursting with colour that looked very exotic. As I stood dumbfounded in the entrance, Nadeshiko-san nonchalantly walked- or maybe danced was a better word, for her grace- across the wooden arched bridge, and I managed to drag my feet after her, looking dazed and lost. Lilith and Vivian squeezed out from my scarf to dart around and inspect everything with a child's curiosity, and they looked fairly impressed. When I flicked my eyes to them to make sure they weren't disturbing any shit in this small paradise, they both grinned, raised their eyebrows, and gave me a suggestive thumbs-up.

I flipped them the bird while a blush covered my face as I got what they were implying.  _"Good choice."_ Pricks.

Since the manners around this place were indefinitely more refined, I followed Nadeshiko-san's example and kicked off my shoes before climbing onto the maze-like porch and following her down multiple hallways I didn't even bother to remember. Since she was able to navigate her way around easily, I theorized that she came around here quite often. It was clear- even to me- that this fact perturbed me, because my footfalls that were already creaking on the ancient wooden floors became heavier and louder. Although the reason why was incomprehensible to me.

Vivian and Lilith floated into space beside me, smug expressions on their faces. I narrowed my eyes into slits. "What?"

"Nothing," the small black-haired girl sang, making snickers erupt from her crimson-headed sister. That just made me all the more suspicious, but I figured I didn't even want to know.

Nadeshiko-san finally stopped in front of a sliding door within the main home, the walls covered with papery scenes depicting a serene day at a creek, with long cattails swaying in a painted breeze and cranes delicately making their way throughout water that was made into wavy patterns. Various types of flowers were placed on tables all throughout the hall, much like the floor of my apartment, and made the scents of lilies and jasmine flow throughout the hall. Before I even had time to react, she was sliding the door open and saying, "Good day, everyone."

The Guardians all chorused back their greetings, Kukai-kun's painfully informal, Yaya-san's cheery and childish, and Tadase-kun's polite and caring. I found myself blushing as I regarded him sitting on his knees on the floor, at his gentle features and thin form. I had to avert my gaze before I was caught staring, but everyone but the guy in question noticed and was smirking at me.  _Goddammit._

"Welcome to the first out-of-school Guardians meeting, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun greeted as I was forced to sit beside him since Nadeshiko-san took the only other available spot around the kotatsu by Yaya-san. I considered her a traitor.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and we were about to get started from the way Tadase-kun awkwardly shuffled paperwork, but then the closed door suddenly slid open again, and a very solid and intimidating man with light hair and a stern face stood in the entryway. He wore a crisp suit like he was readying to go out somewhere, and I knew from the striking resemblance (the eye colour, angle of the nose, soft cheekbones) that this man had to be Tadase-kun's father.

"I'm going out for a while," he said flatly, straightening his tie. He took in the group surrounding his son, nodded in greeting, then completely froze when he met my gaze. I didn't even know that guy, but I could sense that it was a rare occurrence for something to take him by surprise- and yet my presence did.

"Gabriel…?" He murmured softly, distantly, his head cocking to the side slightly and making his gelled hair come slightly askew.

I could only stare at him with a slightly slack jaw. Where  _hadn't_ my father been?

Considering the possibility that I may have to get to know this man from hanging around his son a lot, and the Guardians regarding me curiously, I smiled politely and responded simply, "No, sir, I'm Gabriel Hisayuki's daughter, Snow. Pleased to meet you."

His expression fell slightly, like he honestly expected me to be my father turned woman, then brightened again. "A pleasure. I'm Tadase's father, Yui Hotori." He gestured to his son with a jerk of his head, and he seemed to flush in embarrassment. "I don't know if your father ever told you about me, but we were good friends in University. Both studied law for a bit. How is he doing, anyway? I haven't seen him since he moved out to New Orleans with Audrey."

Audrey Hisayuki (formerly Fallon) was my mother's name, and she was apparently one of the kindest people you'd ever come across back in the day. I thought it was fully justified that I found that hard to believe.

But in response to Yui-san's question, as far as I was concerned… "He's dead, sir."

I almost felt bad for saying what I believed to be true from the stricken expression on his face. He must've really known and been close with my father, since it seemed like that one sentence tore a chunk out of his formal pretense and left a defenseless and lost man standing shell-shocked in the doorway of his son's room, who was looking between him and I worriedly.

"I'm… so sorry," he finally managed to breathe, his voice rough. "When…?"

"When I was five." I paused for a moment to see that there weren't any working gears in his brain at the moment. "Thirteen years ago. And it's perfectly alright; I know he was a great man, and I'm sure he'd have wanted to see you again, but there were… extenuating circumstances." Not that I knew what they were. I just felt awful for saying something like my father's supposed death point-blank when this man clearly cared about him a lot. I wish he'd told me about Yui-san; or maybe he did and I just didn't remember.

"Give your mother my condolences," he said finally, bowing his head slightly to me, smiling briefly at his son, then exiting the room.

 _I'd love to if she hadn't gone batshit crazy after he disappeared._ But I left it at that and focused on the paperwork in front of me. All of the Guardians were sensing that I probably didn't want to talk about it, and they didn't push me for information like I knew they wanted to. I found the gesture very sweet, and even though I still didn't feel like I deserved it, I was happy to be amongst them.

"Ahem," Tadase-kun cleared his throat, pushing his feelings for his father and his questions for me aside with visible effort. "Anyway, let's call this meeting to order."

For the first few minutes, the meeting consisted of a weekly review of the events that had happened in the school that were worth mentioning, upcoming events like the sports festival at the end of next week, and any suggestions that had been submitted to them (us?) that needed to be looked over. Even though I was fairly new at this, and this was my first official meeting, I listened attentively and took as many mental notes as I was able.

And then they got to the part where the addressed me as a new member.

I shifted nervously as their gazes automatically travelled to me. Not knowing what else to say, a forced an awkward smile on my face that came out more like a grimace and hunched my shoulders forward, like a complete coward.

Tadase-kun smiled in assurance at me, and all of the Guardians somehow ended up smirking, along with the Shugo Charas. Instead of having to meet their suggestive glances, I turned my eyes to the table in front of me, letting Tadase-kun's voice register in my mind in a concrete, absolute way.

"You have a very special position, Hisayuki-san," he began, his red-brown eyes gleaming seriously.

"Especially after that little show on Friday," Kukai-kun cut in, waggling his eyebrows at me. I waved him away dismissively.

"This position has never been filled before," Tadase-kun continued, casting a dry look at the spirited redhead, who only grinned in return. "Since no one else has been powerful enough to resonate with the Humpty Lock. But now you're here, and you have three Shugo Chara and the Humpty Lock, so the Joker chair of the Guardians can be filled."

"The Joker has a very important job," Yaya-san piped in, her high voice still completely cheerful despite the serious conversation occurring. "One that none of us can do. Your job is to purify X-eggs, just like you did with Weiss Yota-san."

I was desperately trying to keep my emotions in check now, for I barely had any idea how I purified that X-egg the first time. I remembered that it involved my whip (ugh) and my  _feelings,_  but how the process actually worked was unbeknownst to me. I guessed I was still having trouble with the whole "magic exists and doesn't involve science" thing.

"Before you go getting all flustered," Nadeshiko-san said suddenly, seeing the look of panic on my face. "Don't fret. We'll do our best to train and help you however we can. We're all in this together."

A warm smile spread across my face. This sense of companionship was so foreign and wonderful to me, finally seeing the light of day after an eternity of night. I had never felt so accepted-  _welcomed,_ even- before, and for the first time I felt like I actually belonged. The Guardians allowed me a private moment of thought as I pondered over this, thinking about how depressing I had actually become. I had been so used to pain and loneliness that anything bright and kind was like a completely new concept to me. I resolved to try and become less of a downer and more of a person these nice people could rely on.

But Nadeshiko-san's words, "we're all in this together", reminded me of something I had yet to affirm. I wiped the grin off my face and asked, "Why do you guys want the Embryo, anyway? Do you have some kind of wish?"

They all exchanged a glance, and everyone eventually ended up staring down Tadase-kun. He flushed in embarrassment and fidgeted slightly. "Well…"

Kukai-kun looked heavenward, and suddenly got this look of an epiphany on his face. He edged closer to Tadase-kun and I slightly and whispered something to him that sounded faintly like "prints". Just as I was wondering what the hell they were talking about, Tadase-kun stopped talking and got what would be considered a dark look on his face if it was anyone else, and Kiseki looked strangely… excited? The other girls just rolled their eyes, and Yaya-san started to giggle.

"Prince?" Tadase-kun repeated, and that made even less sense than my first idea. I just scowled at him next to me, then he suddenly burst away from the kotatsu and stood up laughing maniacally, a small golden crown appearing on his head from nowhere. "Don't call me something as insulting as a 'Prince'! I am the KING!"

He took one glance at me, snorted, then said, "Peasant."

 _What the fuck?_ He was acting like a completely different, haughty person! Not to mention he called me a friggin' peasant. I stood up as quickly as he had, fists clenched at my sides, and was only just held back by Kukai-kun clamping his warm hands down on my arms and holding me in place.

"Sorry, Hisayuki," he muttered, his expression amused. "He can't really control what he says when he's Character Changed… plus, it's my fault for triggering it." Though he didn't look the least bit repentant.

Yaya-san was still giggling like the little girl I was beginning to believe she was. "Hey, Tadase," she sang. "Why do you want to get the Embryo?"

The douchebag King flipped back his long, light bangs with a snort. A smirk twisted on his face and his voice dripped with superiority as he said, "Only to take over the world, of course!"

Speechless for a moment, my steeled arms fell slack in Kukai-kun's grasp, making him let go, turn around, and start busting a gut at my reaction. Tadase-kun wanted to…  _take over the world?_  My mouth began moving mechanically, weird, strangled noises coming out, as the King began to laugh like a true man that was going to try and achieve world domination.

" _ARE YOU INSANE?"_  I demanded, and now everyone was laughing their asses off. "Why are you  _supporting this?!_ You guys really are crazy!"

"It's something to do," Kukai-kun shrugged, much to my dismay.

"Plus it's fun, don't you think?" Yaya-san added cheerfully, grinning broadly and poking one of her girly cheek dimples with her forefinger as if to say  _teehee._

They actually believed they could do it. They really thought taking over the world like some crazy-ass tyrant was possible. I was shaking my head adamantly, completely bewildered by these people. I turned on my heel and began heading for the door, saying, "I'm out."

But then somebody's hand was gripping mine tightly, and I looked down in horror to see Nadeshiko-san smiling up at me like a clown that had just committed homicide. "No turning back now."

From there, everything seemed to go downhill very quickly. I had to be forcefully wrestled and pinned to the ground so I couldn't try and run by Nadeshiko-san and Kukai-kun, Tadase-kun was still laughing like a complete psychopath, Yaya-san was almost suffocating from giggling so much, and my Charas were too busy fighting with the others and each other to even try to help me (not that they would, anyway). Everyone was screaming obscurities at each other, and the wooden floor was digging into my face painfully since Kukai-kun was holding it there. From the way it was burning, I knew the spaces between panels would leave an imprint.

Eventually things settled down, starting with Tadase-kun's Character Change coming undone. From there he was the peacemaker and mercifully requested that Nadeshiko-san and Kukai-kun get the hell off of me (only in a more respectful way). I remained on the floor in a deathly silence as they tore apart the Charas and smacked Yaya-san lightly to make her stop laughing, and they were all breathing heavily by the end of the whole escapade.

"Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun panted lightly. "You can get up now."

I didn't want to be a part of a freak show. But I had already agreed to help, and I never went back on my word. Besides, they couldn't… really be serious. I mean, the whole idea of world conquest was way over any adult's head, let alone a teenager's. So I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the floor, making my Charas start spewing more laughter at the imprint on my face.

"Ahem," I coughed awkwardly as I used two fingers to mash their faces on the table. "Regarding what just happened. So that was Tadase-kun's Character Change." I took a deep breath so I didn't begin flipping out like I normally would have when someone seemed to have schizophrenia. "I can see that." Considering Kiseki was just like that on a regular basis. "But how was it triggered?" I looked pointedly at Kukai-kun.

He shrugged. "If someone says something that their Chara doesn't like or approve of, or their master is making them angry, they'll automatically take over and try to change the situation, such is their nature. In Tadase's case, when you call him the 'P' word, Kiseki doesn't like that and proclaims that 'he's the king'."

"And don't you forget it, Peasant," the latter snorted, this smug little smirk on his face.

I wasn't particularly fond of being called a peasant. "Well, do you guys know why Easter wants to get the Embryo? Why they're your… our enemies?"

The mood in the room darkened so much that it was a heavy fog flowing in through the windows and making everyone's faces fall. Tadase-kun's was the most notable, his expression torn between something like pain and contempt. The look didn't suit his normally light and cheerful disposition, and the sudden change disturbed me more than it should have.

"Nothing good," he said with a shake of his head. "We were told about the Embryo by the headmaster. And once we started looking for it, there they were, already skulking around and using dirty means to find it."

"What… dirty means?" I was almost afraid to ask. The image of Ikuto suddenly popped into my head, when I left him looking awfully forlorn at Starbucks yesterday. I tried to shake it off, but it remained even after Tadase-kun continued.

"Deliberately turning someone's egg into an X." His russet eyes seemed to glint dangerously as he said the next thing. "Destroying X-eggs."

"What happens when someone's egg is destroyed?" Lilith gave me a look like she had explained it before, and she must have, but I wanted to hear it from someone who may have watched it happen.

"To put it simply," Vivian suddenly chimed in, her voice low and cryptic. Everyone turned to look down at her. "They begin living as if they are already dead."

"That's exactly right," Nadeshiko-san continued, her mouth formed into a deep frown. "They lose what their eggs are composed of: their dreams. They have no ambitions, no hope, no future. It happens all the time as people get older, but doing it deliberately is like pure evil." She shook her head, inky hair flying like lashes of night. "If there were no dreams or ambitions, we wouldn't have the society we do today. You never know; destroying one person's egg may just mean destroying a vital part of humankind's future. Like, what if they were to invent something important? Change the world in some small way? It is never worth the risk, and the holder goes through a lot of pain. Like getting their heart ripped right out of their chest."

Depressing as it was, I could probably sympathize with the broken-egged people, in terms of living as if you were already dead. There was a horrible hollow feeling in your chest, like there was a gaping hole that someone could actually put their hand through without any trouble. Doing that to someone intentionally was horrible, inhuman even. But… did Easter really do that? I didn't think the Guardians were lying or anything; it was just hard for me to imagine people doing that on purpose.

This only fired me up to try and do my new job as "Joker". The Guardians were telling me to save people in a way only I could right now. It didn't matter if the job was hard. It didn't matter if I thought I wasn't capable of doing it correctly. What mattered was that I at least tried to prevent people from suffering the same kind of emptiness I did when I was young. I was beginning to understand I had a new responsibility as the new Humpty Lock owner to use it in the way it was meant to be used. I had to save people from losing themselves before they even found them.

Lilith and Vivian were smiling up at me as if they approved of my internally-made decision, which was most likely the case considering they liked to eavesdrop on my thoughts in total disregard of my right to privacy.

"So you see it's a necessity to get the Embryo before they do," Tadase-kun murmured with a tone of finality. "Who knows why they even want it. But I can assure you that it's nothing good."

I nodded in understanding, and he flashed his regular charming smile at me. Though there was one thing that kept consistently bothering me. I couldn't just ignore the other side of things. Why were the people working for Easter doing this voluntarily? Was there a goal they all hoped to achieve together? Or… maybe they each had their separate goals. This was a mega-corporation, after all; there had to be something to this whole mystery, something the Guardians were overlooking because they were too busy doing their own duties.

While I was overthinking again and trying to work out this Rubrics' cube in my head, Yaya-san had adeptly snuck behind me, and suddenly I was yanked into a tight backwards hug, her thin arms wrapped like vises around my neck. My eyes widened in complete befuddlement. I barely knew her- what was she doing being like this? But then I overlooked her personality (or what I've seen of it, anyway) and figured that it was just Yaya-san's way.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" She cheered in my ear, and I couldn't figure out why she repeated it. "We're all Guardians now, and we'll never be alone. We can find the Embryo together for sure, and we can make Tadase's dream come true!"

"Unreasonable as it may be," Nadeshiko-san added with a roll of her eyes.

"Besides," Kukai-kun added, leaning back so his long, athletic legs stretched out all over the floor. "Even though we just met, we're already buddies, aren't we, Hisayuki?"

I grinned at them, even flashing teeth. "Yeah," I agreed. "We're already buddies."

"Yay!" Yaya-san began strangling me, intentionally or not unknown to me. As I choked to death, she squealed in my ear, "Can I call you Snow-chi?"

"You may not," I hacked.

"I'm gonna anyway! Because we're all friends now!"

Even though Yaya-san said that, and even though I was surrounded by warm, smiling faces that welcomed me into their circle even though I was a stranger, I got the strangest feeling of presentiment. It was the same feeling I got when I walked into that dark, seemingly empty house when I was five and knew something was awry. I had no idea what it could mean. But it sent chills down my spine despite Yaya-san's warm arms around me and my resistance to cold, and my Charas grins faded.

We all knew something was about to begin. But I felt like I was the only one who didn't know what.


	8. Broken in the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow an company are able to infiltrate an Utau Hoshina concert in hopes of discovering more about Easter.

**Chapter VII**

**_Broken in the Moonlight_ **

In life, everyone always has some sort of expectations for something that don't necessarily come true when the real situation happens. I was experiencing one of those moments as I stood in front of the towering building of Vesania Asylum. The media had lied to me again, since I was expecting (and maybe hoping) for it to be one of those decrepit buildings with dying ivy strangling the last breath of life out of it, with bars on the windows, graffiti, the works. But my hopes were crushed upon seeing the real thing. It was a modernized building that was a painfully plain rectangle, with no balconies or very long windows. The exterior was just white brick, and it was only a few stories tall. It was completely sterile with absolutely no character. And somehow that made it more intimidating than the image I had in my mind before.

When I was actually faced with the personification of my biggest fears, my reaction was to be expected; no matter how much I wanted to move, to take a step forward, reach that blank white door, and walk in to see my mother, I couldn't even twitch. I just stared blankly up at the structure like a deer in headlights, my scarf blowing around me in the wind. Lilith and Vivian were resting on both my shoulders, and casting worried glances to the side of my face. I had to say something to them. To tell them not to worry somehow.

"Um," I ended up saying, forcing a hopeful smile on my face. "Maybe it's closed today?"

They both slapped me in the face simultaneously. Granted, it didn't hurt, but I still got the message; I was being ridiculous. But to me, simply walking in this building and seeing my mom- the woman who so graciously birthed me- was like confronting that big, bad monster you knew was hiding in your closet and haunting you while you slept. My mother was my  _Man with Fire on His Face_. Except, you know, she wasn't trying to possess my body. At least I didn't think she was.

After taking a huge, shuddering breath, I did move; only it was backwards. Lilith and Vivian seemed to sag in disappointment, and I hated doing this to them since they could feel how insecure I was right now, but I couldn't see her. At least not today. What's the worst that could happen? Well, she could try to hurt me again. She could reject me and not even listen to what I had to say. And- this was the worst of all to me- she could look at me with pure hatred in her eyes, since she had always been the type of person whose face always betrayed their emotions. I would know that she really hated me if she looked like it, and being hated by your own mother is… well, it's kind of upsetting.

"I'm sorry, guys," I said to my Charas. I pursed my lips in deep thought, trying to think of how to put the way I was feeling into words, but I didn't need to.

"We get it, Snow," Lilith grinned, though it didn't look like she was really into it. "We know how hard this is for you. You can take your time."

"You did just move here a week ago, as well," Vivian added helpfully. "You're still settling in. Not to mention that you're still a bit shaken from the meeting with the Guardians we just came from."

I smiled at the both of them, happy to have someone here with me, even if they were only the size of my forefinger and came from eggs. However, Vivian didn't return the sentiment. As a matter of fact, she looked quite serious, and her next words were said with a low, cryptic voice.

"You don't have to confront anyone right now," she said slowly, her expression impassive. "But whether you like it or not, someday things will have to change. Just remember that you can't keep walking away forever."

Blood was rushing through my ears along with the rapid beat of my heart. I could barely hear my own voice as I whispered, "I know."

I would've liked to be all cool while leaving the asylum premises, but I ended up breaking into a run and scurrying along the sidewalk like a cat scraping against a wooden floor. The whole walk home, my mind was elsewhere, my gaze trained on everything in front of me but not really seeing. I was barely even able to respond even able to respond to the cashier at the convenience store when I bought beef jerky.

Munching as I walked, I swore I heard someone call my name. But being so out of it, and not entirely sure, I didn't look up to check. I just kept striding along the milling crowd, hands shoved in my pockets while just using my teeth to hold and chew the jerky, but felt a stare crawl up the back of my neck and linger until I crossed the street. It didn't seem at all malevolent or baleful; if anything, it seemed like a combination of sadness and curiosity. Nonetheless, I continued to ignore it, and arrived home feeling much more exhausted than I should have.

 _I'm such a coward,_ I thought to myself, and heaved an outward sigh. I was greeted with a too-warm blast of air as the glass doors slid open, and I started to unwrap my scarf from my neck and slung it over my shoulder. Even though I wasn't expecting anything, I checked my mailbox just in case Mary had sent me a letter for God knows what reason, or if it was a notice for my internet getting hooked up soon. It was quite the surprise when I unlocked the metallic little box with my small key, and saw a small present inside that looked like it could sit in my palm. It was covered in extremely pretty wrapping, a silver base with glittered snowflakes scattered in different patterns. The ribbon was a metallic, light blue, and was tied into a cute little bow. There was no sender, but something about it made it more obscure than its very presence; it was addressed to "Snowrenrie Camellia Hisayuki". And I had never told anyone my full name in my life, let alone anyone from this city.

Even though I knew it was pointless, I still threw a surreptitious glance around the lobby to see if the sender was still hanging around. Besides an old lady with a wiry perm just chilling on an upholstered bench in the sitting room, I was alone.

"Who do you think it's from?" I asked my Charas in a whisper, and they shrugged in unison. But I didn't miss the look they exchanged, like they really did know but didn't feel compelled to tell me.

"I wish I knew," I sighed. "I feel uncomfortable just taking it. Plus it's awfully… cryptic, considering they used my full name."

"Maybe that just means they're close to you," Lilith suggested, and she was roughly shoved off of my shoulder by her dark-haired sister. As they got into a small, mice-sized tussle on the floor, I gazed at the gift for a moment, shrugged to myself, and delicately set it in my purse for further investigation.

Despite that, it sat unopened on my desk for the entire night as I cooked, cleaned, and set up all my new room décor. Everything seemed much more homey when I was done, and less spacious, which was nice in my opinion. It didn't seem as lonely. The gift's existence literally seemed to fade from my mind as I watched  _Say Yes to the Dress_ and ate lasagna with Vivian and Lilith, their plates the kind you'd use for Barbie dolls.

"I can't see myself getting married," I said suddenly, gulping down a large bite of lasagna. It was the best I had made yet, and I was proud and ecstatic for myself that I was devouring it without much consideration.

"Well, neither can we," said my small crimson-haired counterpart. "I don't think we'll live to meet many other Charas like us. But think of it this way-" Lilith paused to wave her surreally small fork in the air indignantly "-no matter who or where you are, the person you're meant to be with is on this earth somewhere right now, breathing, living, and maybe they're thinking the same thing as you are."

I paused in chewing for a moment and mulled over that. It was a painfully esoteric thought to try and comprehend, and it filled me with a very sudden warmth and endearment. Lilith must've been right. Someday, I may get married and even have kids. But considering I was eighteen and hadn't dated anyone, ever, I couldn't see that happening any time soon. Actually, I couldn't really see much of my future at all, and that was another esoteric subject to consider.

Just as I was rolling the idea around in my mind like a hard candy, I was completely startled by a sudden knocking  _coming from my room,_ and almost shattered my plate all over the floor. The girls nearly had the same reaction, and Lilith got hers all over herself. She was screaming in frustration as I bolted down the small hallway and burst in my room, only to see a figure looming on my balcony, a malevolent phantom lingering just as the stars were coming out and casting shadows.

When I started to shriek, a hissing voice penetrated through the door: "Shh, it's me, you idiot."

I narrowed my eyes and clamped my lips shut into a tight line.  _Wait a minute._ I knew that voice. And it had no business being on my balcony at nine o'clock at night.

As my Charas continued screaming in the living room like maniacs, I flashed into my room, snapped on the light, and tore open the balcony door. Sure enough, Ikuto stood there like he did this every day, hands in his hoodie pockets with a single white plastic bag hanging from one of his wrists and swinging against his dark jean leg. His expression was completely neutral, contrary to my glare that looked ready to kill.

" _What_ are you doing here?" I demanded, using flailing gestures to express the balcony. "How did you even get up here?"

"Nice to see you, too," he said, quirking an eyebrow. "And I'm a cat, remember?"

"Wha- no, you're not really-"

"That isn't important right now," he said, and made a dismissive wave with his hand. Then he looked me up and down, almost like an appraisal. "Nice to see that you dressed for company."

Surely he was being sarcastic, with my appearance of baggy gray track pants and a white tank top that all too easily showed my black bra underneath. I coughed and awkwardly crossed my arms over my chest, trying to be indiscreet. "Well, you know, a random guy appearing on my balcony isn't an everyday thing."

"I'm sure it's not." I was about ready to smack him right off when he asked, "Can I come in?"

I glared at him. "You most certainly may not. I don't even know what you're doing here."

Exasperated midnight blue eyes were looking up at me from those black crescent lashes, and even I could see how completely attractive he looked right then. His white undershirt was clinging to his chest like a second skin, and I had to nervously drag a hand down my face to stop staring at how well toned he was. I shook with the effort.

"Fine, be that way," he shrugged, then turned around to throw one leg over the cement blockade to prevent anyone from falling over.

I dropped my arms and rushed over to grab his, panic stricken look on my face. "What do you think you're doing, stupid?!"

He gave me a look and proceeded to swing the other leg over, then simply sat on the thick cement block. "Just sitting, spaz," he said, his expression bemused.

 _Oh._ Now I was embarrassed. I averted my gaze as heat rose to my face, and my hands felt like they were burning suddenly. Looking down to see what was up, I noticed that they were still clinging to Ikuto's thin arms like they were a lifeline. It took me a second to narrow my eyes and wonder what the hell I was doing. To gauge his reaction, I looked up again to see him staring right at me, and even though his eyes were such a cool colour, the look he was giving me seemed to have a sort of simmer to it.

Immediately, I ripped my hands away and crossed my arms again. "What are you doing here?" I asked again, and my Charas floated out to see what was happening. Ikuto's Character emerged from underneath his long, dark hair, and they had a stare-off as the moment of silence stretched on. And then they were out of sight, doing something I didn't even want to know about.

Ikuto lifted his face slightly to glare at the clear sky, the moon shining like a beaming glass ball in the dark sky. It illuminated his profile in a mysterious way, and I found myself suddenly striding towards him and looking at him expectantly. He looked thoughtful yet sullen as he handed the white plastic bag over to me, and kept it dangling in his hand until I tentatively reached out and took it. He was my enemy now, so I didn't really trust what could be inside. Like, maybe it was a smoke bomb or something so he could confuse me and snatch my third egg.

But when I carefully peeked inside, all I saw was a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a couple of plastic spoons.

It was impossible to contain the creepily wide grin that spread on my face in excitement and anticipation. "Why?" I demanded as I dug it out of the bag and tore it open.

He shrugged while managing to maintain his balance sitting precariously on the single beam keeping him in place. "I saw you earlier today, and you looked kind of… cranky. It was annoying to see you like that when you're usually always stupidly giggly or angry, so I wanted to fix that."

So it was  _him_  who called out to me earlier today, when I was walking home. Who knew. I cast him a weary look as I pulled out two spoons. "How did you know that I loved mint chocolate chip?"

"The first time I attacked you and the Guardians, I was on the roof of the gazebo waiting to strike when I heard them start spouting out random facts about you." He shrugged noncommittally again. "I thought I should keep it in mind."

I handed him a spoon and placed the carton between us. He turned carefully and started digging in, just like me. "Okay, that's not creepy at all." He just grinned around a mouthful of ice cream. "But  _why?_ We're enemies now, so you shouldn't be bothering with this at all."

He stopped eating for a moment to cast me another smoldering gaze, and this time I was able to hold it for a decent amount of time with one of my own. "Even though you're my enemy," he murmured slowly, and only then did I realize how close we were. His breath, unusually hot and smelling of mint, brushed my bangs from my eyes and revealed their bizarre colour. "I know that you're not a bad person."

My mouth opened slightly in surprise, but I let it pass. No one had ever really called me a good person before, and I wasn't going to begin to question it. I merely scooped up another spoonful of ice cream and popped it in my mouth. I breathed deep through my nose as I turned my own head up to look at the sky. "I don't think you're a bad person either, you know."

He snorted. "Then you're a horrible judge of character."

"I'm pretty good actually," I said with a slight grin. "A bad person wouldn't bring a girl ice cream just to cheer her up… unless it was actually poisoned or something."

"It is, you know," he said after a few beats of silence. I stopped dead when I was about to take another bite and looked down at it in horror. "I'm kidding," he snickered, his grin revealing straight, white teeth that completely entranced me as they shone in the moonlight.  _Dear Lord, he's perfect._

"My point is that," I continued, cautiously taking the bite with narrowed eyes. "You should really stop trying to make yourself out to be the bad guy. I've been that person before, and I know that it doesn't exactly bring happiness to anyone."

When all he did was stare at me with an unreadable look in his eyes, I shrugged and gave him an impish grin. "It's not worth the effort. Thanks for the ice cream, by the way. You really didn't have to do that. I'll reimburse you, if you want."

He turned his head completely away from me and stared at the opposite wall, then grumbled, "No, it's free this time."

 _This time?_  I smiled to myself as I realized that his words meant he was planning on sticking around, and not being fickle and just completely abandoning the little friendship we were managing to build, like the cat I was beginning to believe he was. It was completely incomprehensible as to why I wanted him to stay; he was a perverted guy, and not to mention that he had the capabilities to be a complete jerk. He was also my official enemy. But I somehow couldn't picture him like that, despite all the warnings from the Guardians. He was unlike any guy I had met before, and I felt an inexplicable pull towards him. Must be hormones.

"I have a question," I said suddenly, my arms folded over the barrier with the ice cream carton sitting in the small nest they created.

Ikuto dug his spoon in again and pulled out a large bite. His mouth opened quite wide to accommodate it.  _Ugh, my mind is getting away from me._ "Shoot."

"Why are you after the Embryo?" I asked, and he paused as he was about to take another bite. "What could you want to wish for?"

He dropped his spoon in the carton, hoisted up one leg on the barrier to hug in his arms, and let his cheek rest on his knee. His expression was completely smug and diverted. "Oh, so you want to know more about me?" He asked with peaked eyebrows.

I dropped my own spoon as my face was overcome with fire. "I did  _not_ say that. I'm just, uh… trying to figure out the motives of my enemy?" It sounded like a question.  _Damn._

"I see," he drawled, then he seemed to ponder over his answer for a bit. His face lit up like he knew what to do, and he hopped on to my side of the barrier to stand beside me. "Okay, I'll tell you, and only you."

I quirked an eyebrow. "I'm honored."

"As you should be." I decided he was deliberately throwing off my sarcasm. "Come closer." I backed away with a wary glare. "Seriously. I don't want anyone else to know."

As if to confirm what I already knew, I threw a glance around the surrounding area, and only saw bright city lights and the seemingly ethereal sky. "We're alone here, so why would the whisper be necessary?"

My question was met with a challenging little half smirk that made my organs fail and melt into a puddle. "What if you've got some eavesdropping neighbours? What would they think, Snow?"

"Lee?" I accidentally said out loud. I tilted one side of my mouth down sardonically. "He doesn't seem like the type to eavesdrop."

Ikuto seemed like he wanted to delve into a conversation about my young and admittedly attractive neighbour, but he managed to stay on topic. "Just come here if you really want to know, or I'm leaving without you having extorted information from me."

"Fine, fine," I muttered as I edged closer to him, instead of further away, like I wanted to. We became so close that our chests were nearly touching, and I could feel his body heat radiating off of him and right into my face with our proximity. I could even hear his heartbeat, or maybe it was just mine drowning out everything else around me. In short, I was basically dying where I stood, and the culprit was not making things better by leaning down so that our heads were right next to each other and his breath was right on my neck.  _I should just throw myself off the balcony. That would solve a lot of problems._

For some reason, he wasn't moving from his position, practically nestled in the crook between my shoulder and neck. I just kept waiting for him to say what he wanted the Embryo for so I could get some personal space and air back into my lungs. But no, of course that wasn't his intention at all. I should have expected what he did, but I didn't, and was in turn completely surprised when I felt a small, painful, and warm tug on my neck and realized that he was freaking biting me and  _I was done._

Ikuto seemed to find it completely hilarious as I screamed and tore myself away from him, from the way he was busting a gut while leaning against the wall separating my apartment from Lee's. I was blushing so much sweat was actually beading on the back of my neck, and my heart was bursting like a firework. The spot on my neck where he bit throbbed as if I had been electrocuted there, and in the back of my mind I realized that the ice cream had somehow been flung off the balcony in the fray and now someone was yelling from the ground.

To make things worse, I finally noticed what the Charas were up to. Ikuto's Chara was strategically wrapped in yarn and yowling as Vivian simply and eloquently sat on him, and Lilith somehow just ended up unconscious on the floor. There was too much going on for my mind to truly register, and my neck stung. But so did my pride and heart, because Ikuto had me completely enveloped in his pace and I was gradually losing my very mind around him.

Still snickering, he swung his leg over the balcony for the third time that night, but this time it was actually to leave. His Chara struggled out from underneath Vivian and floated over to him to burrow in his hood, a thread of bright pink yarn still dangling out of it. I glared daggers at his crouching figure that hesitated before escaping the scene.

"Snow, in all seriousness," he began, turning back to look at me. Considering all that had just spiralled out of control, he looked oddly sober and almost grave. "I don't want to be your enemy. So don't make me have to be."

After he said that, I managed to straighten my posture from protectively curling in on myself and returned his gaze just as fiercely, but the effect was kind of lost since I still held a hand to my neck. "I don't, either," I hissed. "I never wanted to be. But you're making it kind of hard by pulling stunts like this." I used my occupied hand to indicate his little "gift".

The serious atmosphere was shattered by his cat-like grin. "Sorry. I couldn't resist." And then he leapt off the balcony in a flash of darkness. I bolted to the barricade to maybe freak out on him if he was still falling for jumping off a twelfth floor balcony, but he was nowhere to be seen.

 _Stupid cat,_ I thought to myself as Lilith woke up screaming and Vivian laughed at her. I didn't forget that I never got an answer to my question, and I also didn't let the very sweet gesture of him buying ice cream for me to cheer me up fade from my mind.

… Couldn't resist  _what?_ Sexually harassing me? Man. He had me wrapped around his finger so easily, and I hated that feeling of helplessness. And yet I was willing to remain that way if it meant that I could learn more about him and become closer to him.

_Yup. I must be becoming a masochist._

}{

"You look like hell."

"Nice to see you, too," I muttered back to my pigtailed junior as I entered the Royal Garden at lunch the next day. My feet were dragging sluggishly up the cobblestone path and bridge, matching my dark-ringed eyes in appearance in terms of tiredness. Thanks to a certain cat-boy last night, sleep was a luxury that was not meant to be mine, and the majority of my night was spent lying in bed, wide-awake, as my neck continued to throb in a warm sort of way even after the pain had subsided. All kinds of thoughts had been skittering through my mind, the most prominent occurring as soon as the sun rose and filtered through my curtains:  _He's actually a really nice guy, going to all that trouble and spending his own money to cheer me up._

When I collapsed in my chair next to Tadase-kun, he greeted me with an anxious expression that meant he was actually worried for me.  _Well, no one can be as nice as Tadase,_ I thought as he asked, "Are you alright? You're not having problems adjusting to the Guardians or living alone? Because if you are, I'd be happy to help." The look on his face was actually bright and hopeful, confirming what I already thought about him; he actually enjoyed helping others even if he gained nothing from it.

Shucks, his concern was making me embarrassed. I was reduced to blushing and stuttering when his eyes searched mine for any indication of discomfort. They were too honest and innocent for me to look away from, and I thought I was just outright staring at him when I said, "No, it's nothing. I'm fine; thanks for asking though."

He broke out of his concerned expression by smiling warmly and patting my hand… which ended up making things worse, since it made my entire body get all warm and electrified. My entire face was red by the time he withdrew his hand.

"Hisayuki?" Kukai-kun asked beside me, a sly edge to his voice.

"U-um, yeah?"

"Is that a hickey that you have on your neck?"

Making myself seem even more guilty than I was already accused of, my hand flew up to cover my neck. Both Kukai-kun and Yaya-san broke into a chorus of suggestive 'oohs', and I floundered around to come up with a good explanation. "It's a bug bite!" I screeched, sounding too defensive altogether. "A spider must've bitten me while I slept!"

" _Suuure_ ," the red-head snickered, scooching closer to me and nudging my arm. "You haven't even been here for very long, and look what you've got going for yourself already. You're such a little vixen."

"Enough about the spider that was trying to make love to me!" I snapped, then started looking for something to draw the conversation away from me and that damned mark Ikuto had so kindly left on my neck. I noticed five rectangular strips of paper that looked to be lenticular resting on the table in front of Yaya-san. "What are those?"

 _Success._ Her expression brightened to the extent of a roaring fire, then she held them up and began fanning herself with them. "Oh, these?" She asked nonchalantly, but she was obviously very proud of herself. "Nothing too special."

"Alright then." I turned my head away from her.

"NO NO NO WAIT!" She cawed as she slapped me across the face with them, leaving me dumbfounded into silence. "There are very important, and I deserve to be praised! LOOK AT ME!"

"I'm  _looking,_ " I hissed, snatching them out of her hands. After a quick scan of the lenticular art showing butterflies taking flight, my eyes flicked to the bottom of the slip to see that in big, bold, and modernized letters, was the logo for Easter.

"Oh," I said. "Well."

"Yeah," Kukai-kun nodded, a smirk twitching its way into existence. "We're going to a concert on Wednesday night that's sponsored by Easter. For investigation purposes, like seeing if they're up to anything fishy to try and get the Embryo by giving us the slip."

"And the main act is Utau Hoshina!" Yaya-san added in her squeakiest, girliest voice. "That made them super hard to get,  _but I did it_!"

 _Utau Hoshina?_  I squinted, trying to think of where I'd heard the name before. "Who's that?"

Upon my asking that, saying that the people around me looked surprised would've been an understatement. There were completely blown away; even Tadase-kun. "You've been living here for a week and you don't know?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Should I?"

"Well, she  _is_ the most famous pop idol around here," Nadeshiko-san said gently, saving me from further mortification. "And she has been for a year or two. Everyone around here knows her name, and it's also common knowledge that she- along with other famous bands, actors, and even talk-show hosts- are all sponsored by Easter in some way. So this company is actually a major corporation that manipulates the strings behind this city, and even the types of entertainment people view in their home."

"Yeesh," was all I could say, stunned and frustrated with the new sea of information that began to roil in my mind, a storm brewing right in the midst of it.

"Not to worry, though," she continued, unbeknownst to my inner turmoil. "What would they really do to kids like us? And besides, most of the employees there are middle-aged adults who can't even see Shugo Chara or the eggs. We do have some advantages."

That didn't stop me from feeling as insecure as I did. A frown seemed to be permanently stuck on my face as I pushed the tickets back to Yaya-san, picked up one of Nadeshiko-san's homemade cookies, and chewed thoughtfully.

I didn't want to globalize Easter and its employees as enemies without knowing anything about them. A dark fog shrouded the mega-corporation from naïve eyes, misting their true intentions and motives from oblivious people such as the Guardians and myself. No, I wouldn't make any true judgement or action until I could determine whether or not they were truly the malevolent phantoms the Guardians believed them to be, or just ordinary citizens working towards a goal they truly believed in. Just like us. It wouldn't be fair.

That wasn't to say that I wasn't going to help the Guardians at all. For now I would sit back and watch as a sort of neutral party until I actually witnessed them making a move. Just because they were the enemies of the people I was joined up with didn't automatically make them mine. While they may be viewed as evil to the point of being inhuman, we all bled the same colour. And if I ended up having to bleed to prevent people's dreams from being taken from them as mine were, so be it.

}{

Students everywhere- myself included, of course- seemed to always be under the impression that teachers didn't have a life outside of school, delusional is it may be. That's why it would be considered an odd thing to see them at the movies or grocery store with their own families, buying completely mundane things like cereal or something. So it certainly came as a shock to everyone in my third period science class when our teacher was taking an early retirement to be with his family and his new grandson. While this did mean our class would be switching through teachers every now and again until a new one could be hired, which was something to be celebrated, it also meant that we'd never see Professor Jones' quirky antics again, with his wild Albert Einstein hair and weird diagrams. We'd also be in a constant unstable state, which did not make for good study, which could affect our exams,  _which was making me flip out._ The thought was very unsettling and left a bad taste in my mouth.

The situation was only made worse when our substitute teacher walked- or stumbled- into the room, his form half hidden by a gargantuan pile of books and papers that spilled everywhere just before they could set them on the desk. It revealed a very dumbfounded and befuddled stick of a man, the picture of an unorganized mess with big, milk bottle glasses that were slightly askew and cracked. His hair had no particular style; it was basically just a pile of cowlicks smack dab on the top of his head. He floundered around trying to desperately pick up the discarded sheets, making odd whimpering noises in the process. He managed to successfully gather them into a scattered pile, unbeknownst to the students snickering at him from their seats.

This guy was a total quack. He was laughing at himself in a sad sort of way as he wrote his name on the board and muttered, "Klutz, klutz, I'm such a klutz…" According to the chicken scratch on the blackboard, his name was Mr. Nikaidou, and he'd be teaching us for as long as the Chairman deemed fit. When he tapped his stick of yellow chalk against the board for emphasis, it snapped in two and nailed him right in the neck. Besides myself, the class blew up in explosive guffaws as he rubbed the wounded area tenderly while wincing and laughing. This all occurred throughout the span of five minutes, so I was actually kind of impressed, in an asinine way.

Mr. Nikaidou began going through the attendance painfully slowly, squinting at the students to try and commit their names to memory. When he got to mine, he looked hella confused whilst examining the sheet, and tentatively called out, "Um… Snow Hi _m_ ayuki-san?"

And then everyone was snickering again.  _I don't laugh at you, and this is what I get?_ I let out a sigh and said, "Present, but it's Hi _s_ ayuki."

"Right, right, Himayuki. I'll try to remember that." His smile seemed sincere and genuine, if not a little goofy, so I didn't have the heart to tell him that he had already forgotten. He carried on as if nothing had happened, so I slouched in my seat and absently took notes on the explanation of chemical formulas that he was stumbling through. All the while the girl beside me as prattling on about what she did in her free time, which extended to reading books on mythology and demons, which seemed very contrary considering the subject we were currently learning about kind of proved that those things were just myths.

Even though there was only two more periods left in the day, time seemed to flow much more slowly than usual. And it continued in such a pattern for the next two days as the time for the "investigative concert" drew nearer. I would go to school, attend a Guardian meeting, resent Mr. Nikaidou for severely lacking in his ability to teach, go to another Guardian meeting, go home, go to work, do homework, and then sleep. And as much as I hated to admit it, my routine seemed much more monotonous since I hadn't seen Ikuto since Sunday night when the unspeakable incident occurred. He was good for a laugh, if nothing else, and it was much harder getting through a day without his snarky presence, though I didn't understand why. Nor did I really want to. I was willing to just say that it was what it was, and trying to change it would be kind of pointless.

On Wednesday morning, I woke up earlier than usual and was able to get my sundry activities out of the way. Since I had some free time, I figured I might as well do something to amuse myself, like play the guitar or read or something. But when I entered my room, the sunlight beaming through my window made something catch my eye from the way it reflected off a shiny surface like a twinkle of light. I cocked my head to one side and strode across my room to unearth the mysterious gift under a bunch of papers and pictures, something that had completely slipped my mind. Lilith and Vivian floated up beside me, and exchanged another one of those annoying we-know-something-that-you-don't glances.

"Should I open it?" I wondered aloud, not really expecting a response but getting one anyway.

"Well, it would be kind of pointless to just let it sit there," Lilith drawled, uncharacteristically slow and serious. "Don't you think?"

She did have a point. Though I got some sort of eerie feeling from this mystery present. Like whatever was inside was going to affect me in a greater way I imagined. But I couldn't possibly think of what it was, so I decided I was being paranoid and tore open the small wrapping paper to find an inconspicuous small box that seemed like the kind to fit… jewelry.

"Hmm," I mumbled to myself, hesitating one second before gently lifting the small lid with my fingers. Then I sucked in a shocked breath. Inside was not what I had expected at all (which was, admittedly, a stupid but hopeful theory- cat socks), but instead the most gorgeous necklace I had ever seen in my life. The chain was long, long enough to hide underneath my shirt, and made of sterling silver. The pendant itself was a small and delicate cross, tiny and intricate diamond-like gemstones set into its surface. And spot in the middle of the crucifix was a very, very miniscule eight-pointed snowflake made of some coruscating blue stone that seemed to give off a transcendental air of cold, like it held real winter within it. It was a simple yet elegant little thing, but it cast prisms everywhere once put up to the sun, and I couldn't help but think I had actually seen it somewhere before.

I reached one quivering finger in the box to touch it, and just before I did, I heard Vivian say quickly, "Snow, wait just a minute-", but it was too late. My finger had already made contact, and a  _swoosh_ seemed to hiss through the air and a shock reverberated throughout my entire body. My eyes widened as my muscles tensed up, and I collapsed to the ground, unable to move or barely breathe.

Then images began reeling through my head, like I was watching some sort of technicolour movie. Everything in the scene was brighter and magnified, much like how I imagined an animal's sight to be. Each scene was separated by a moment of static, black and white dots flying through my head like a bad connection.

A man and a woman smiling at each other.  _Crackle._ Some obscurely big and brawny men dressed in all black tearing the man away roughly by his arms and taking him somewhere.  _Crackle._  A very tall, slender, and respectable-looking man sitting stop a throne, clucking his tongue.  _Crackle._ "I had thought better of you, brother," he said.  _Crackle._ Something like red paint shooting everywhere, splattering on the walls and floor and surrounding people.  _Crackle._ The very necklace in my hands slowly being covered by a pool of the red liquid.  _Crackle._ A man with long, pitch-black hair clutched the necklace in his hands and began to sob.  _Crackle._

"Snow!" I heard small, pipsqueak voices scream right in my ear. "Snow! What happened?"

The imaged faded away with an almost audible  _snap!,_ and I sucked in a desperate breath as I became able to move again. I pushed myself off the floor, gasping for air.  _What the fuck was that?_  I wondered worriedly as I pressed the heels of my hands to my forehead and tried to even out my breaths. I had never, ever before in my life, seen something like it before. It was the most bizarre and unfathomable occurrence, and why it had happened was a complete mystery. But even though I didn't know exactly what had happened, or  _why_ it had happened, I had a very distinct feeling, one of deep foreboding, of what I had seen.

For some abysmal reason that I didn't even want to know about, I had just witnessed a man die.

}{

"Hisayuki-san?"

I let out a small yelp and whirled around in my seat in what I thought was an empty Royal Garden to find Tadase-kun standing behind me, eyebrows and hands raised in mock surrender. "Calm down, it's just me. What's got you so jumpy?"

"Oh." My cheeks reddened in embarrassment and shame, and I turned back to my English homework on the table to stare at while feeling immense loss. "Sorry. I guess I'm just… hyped up, is all."

In truth, I had been hyperaware all morning, ever since that sort of…  _vision_ that had occurred in my bedroom. Everything that took me by surprise just seemed to make the images fly through my head without my volition, therefore making me freak out about it. I had taken solace in the empty Royal Garden at lunch break to finish my homework early so I didn't have as much to do tonight and feel pressured about it because of the concert, then Tadase-kun popped out of nowhere and took me by surprise.

It didn't really help that the weird necklace was around my neck and tucked beneath my shirt.

I wouldn't be able to properly explain the reason why I put it on in the first place. Though a huge part of it was Vivian and Lilith. They were insistent that, even though it may have somehow triggered whatever I saw, I needed to put it on. The look in their eyes was one of pure desperation and pleading, so I had really no other option but to reluctantly slip it on and keep it hidden. Besides… even though it gave me an immense sense of unease, at the same time, it made me feel kind of safe. Like there was some sort of protective presence around me. It was altogether extremely odd and unbelievable, but my Shugo Chara had mentioned that since they existed, some kind of existential force giving me an odd sense of security wasn't necessarily a false or weird thing.

So there I was, timidly shaking in my chair as Tadase-kun stood behind me with concern written all of his face, its cool presence pressing against my chest.

"Are you really okay?" He asked, sliding into the chair across from mine and placing his hands delicately on the table. "You look like you saw a ghost."  
I gestured vaguely at Kiseki and my own Shugo Chara, my eyes still down on my homework. "Well, that's basically what they are. I suppose I'm just still getting used to it."

"That may be true," he chuckled lightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I peeked up at him nervously and saw him smiling curiously at me, like he was happily trying to solve a complicated but fun crossword, so I ended up flushing and looking down again. "You can tell me if you ever feel insecure about anything. I'm here to help, you know, not just to boss you guys around with paper work and whatnot."

"That's not what I think you do," I objected, snapping my gaze up from my work to stare at him incredulously. "You've been nothing but nice to me since I got here, even when I didn't deserve it. You're not bossy at all."

His maroon eyes widened a fraction in surprise, then shut in glee as he began laughing. "I'm glad you think so," he chortled, much to my increasing discomfort. "I thought you might've disliked me."

I actually let out a snort. "Like that's possible. I don't think there's a person alive who could dislike you."

Tadase-kun's disposition changed very suddenly. He had a morose smile on his face, and his eyes were drawn down and sad. "That's not true at all," he murmured. "I can think of someone."

Before I could completely poke my nose where it didn't belong and ask who he was talking about, the other Guardians gracefully entered the Garden, and our work for that afternoon began. My heart was suspiciously pounding from my alone time with Tadase-kun, though why was a mystery to me. What was wrong with me? I felt exhilarated just from hearing him laugh and offer me simple kindness. Maybe because I had never been on the receiving end of such before.

The day was over before I could really register it, with the exception of science and Nikaidou-sensei's bumbling tomfoolery that seemed to be his trademark. I skipped the Guardian meeting at the end of the day and just had Yaya-san brief me via text, since I went to work an hour early to get off an hour early to make it to the concert in time. For the whole night, I was actually stuck on dish duty, irritably scrubbing away complete strangers' leftover food grime and wanting to cry about it in the employee washroom. The plates of children were especially a nightmare, since they weren't the slightest bit reserved about making a mess of their food or writing messages in condiments with their fingers (such as: "good luck, slave", which actually did make me sob a bit).

When I was finally off my shift and changing in the women's room, Vivian was staring me down with the meanest glare on her face.

I frowned at her fiercely. "Look, I don't know what problem you have with my body, but I'm sure it's completely unjustified-"

"It's not your body," she scoffed, putting her hands on her wee hips, her teddy bear dangling from her deadly clutch. "It's your clothes. You're honestly going to the concert of the most popular idol in the city looking like  _that_?"

Dark wash jeans and a light purple V-neck tee-shirt? Somebody arrest me. "I have nothing else with me."

She heaved a deep sigh, but a very smug and self-sufficient look was planted on her face. "I guess I have no choice but to use my amazing powers of fashion on you, since you seem to be especially handicapped in that department."

"I resent that."

"Of course you do. From somebody with comfortable fashion to someone with chic fashion: Chara Change!"

The one thing I hated most about Shugo Chara? How they used their mysterious, frustratingly unscientific powers to somehow strip me naked and fully clothe me again in some completely exaggerated garb I would never have the nerve to wear without even revealing anything. Though I had to give Vivian some credit; I thought I would end up clad in ye olde Victorian clothing with frills and ruffles, which seemed more her speed. But instead I found myself in a crisp, white button-down blouse, a purple and black checkered, puffed out skirt with matching suspenders, black tights with thin vertical white lines that had intricate sparkles woven in to them, and bright purple pumps. I could feel my hair magically tugged and nipped in to low pigtails tied with black ribbons, the stark contrast to my hair, that showed my natural curls at the end. In short, I felt completely adorable and was nearly squealing with delight.

"Vivian, this is amazing!" I gasped, twirling around while gazing at my reflection. "I didn't know you guys had powers like this!"

"It's just me," she sniffed haughtily. "I was born from your wish of, 'I want to be heard'. A way for someone to create their own voice is through their fashion sense. Air go, I can change the way you're perceived by others by changing your clothes. Make sense?"

"Yeah, I got it," I said with a huge, beaming smile at her. "This is such an awesome power. Thank you so much!"

It might've just been my imagination, but I swore her face flushed a fraction. "It- it's really no big deal. It's your power for fashion sense, really."

"But you're the one manifesting it," I objected, putting my hands on my hips. "And that is pretty damned cool."

"You know," Lilith suddenly interjecting, popping out of her egg concealed in my messenger bag. "You and I have Character Transformed before, and I have never been lavished with such compliments despite giving you immense power. This is freaking discrimination."

"When I Character Transform with you, I end up half-dressed."

"So what? It's not like you have anything to be embarrassed about."

"IT'S SHAMELESS!"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Who needs shame when you can have power?"

I rolled my eyes. "This is the worst conversation that I could ever have with you."

Just as I was bending down to scoop my bag off of the floor and exit the room, the necklace swung out from underneath my shirt and caught my eye in the mirror. It swung back and forth harmlessly from around my neck, catching the ugly fluorescent lights and making it sparkle. I stood straight for a moment, completely still and silent, then vary cautiously moved my hand to touch it against my chest. I felt nothing except cool metal beneath my fingertips and the edges of the small gems.

"What was that earlier today?" I murmured to myself, looking up from its reflection in the mirror to that of my own face. My strange eyes stared back at me, somewhat concealed by my bangs falling into them. I supposed that I, myself, was pretty strange, which seemed to make the necklace suit me all the more.

"It would be best to just forget it," Lilith laughed, though it sounded a little strained. "Maybe you were just tired and hallucinating. You've been working hard all week, after all."

That didn't explain why I'd hallucinate about something like  _that_. There was something going on here, and I could feel it ache in my bones. Something odd was going to happen soon, and it wasn't just about the Shugo Chara. It was something that felt completely different from their presence, light, secure, and almost spiritual. It was dark and shadowy, as if someone were walking alone on a dark, stormy night on an abandoned street, but you feel like someone else is there. It was frightening.

My grip on the necklace tightened to the point where the cross's points dug into my palm.

"Snow, we're gonna be late," Vivian said suddenly, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Right," I said with a smile, scooping my bag up off the floor and striding out the employee exit and out onto the street. It was completely pitch black outside, and I could tell it was cold even without feeling it because of the crisp smell that blew into my nose. Much to my aggravation, the majority of people wandering around were couples snuggling up against each other against the chill, something I'd never get the opportunity to do. The only thing I could do was sigh heavily and dig the city map out of my bag and look where to find the concert hall- or whatever it was.

After scanning the map's colourful surface for a minute or so, I narrowed my eyes in frustration. "I can't seem to find it anywhere. This may be a problem."

"Snow," Lilith said slowly, like she was talking to a mentally delayed child. "The map's upside down."

For a moment, I was utterly silent as more couples filed past me, discussing plans for the weekend. Then I slowly turned the map upright and began scanning it all over again, and eventually found the event centre to be almost directly west from East Side Mario's. I cocked my head to one side. "That means I go left from here, right?"

"No, it does not," Vivian hissed in my ear as she pulled it roughly. "All you literally have to do is go straight. It's as simple as that."

"But that makes no sense," I growled, the volume of my voice growing louder and drawing attention. At the back of my mind, I knew it looked like I was just talking to myself, but at the time I was too focused on trying to figure out where to go. "West points to the left on the map. On  _every_ map."

"Snow, that DOES NOT mean that it's to your left."

"Well, what else could it mean, then?! Are you trying to tell me I've been reading directions wrong for all my life?"

Both of my Shugo Chara's eyes widened in surprise and pity. "You've been reading direction like that for all your life? No wonder you get lost wherever you go!"

As we continued to bicker back and forth, people on the street actually stopping to look at me like I was a freak, I barely noticed a presence creep up behind me and continue to stand there and watch for another minute or so. Therefore, I was nearly scared out of my shoes when I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard a deep, masculine voice say, "Miss Hisayuki."

I whirled around, barely containing a shriek and whipping the man behind me with my long hair. I remained completely still for a moment, my heart thundering from someone sneaking up on me, then my posture straightened from a defensive stance to one of shock and wariness. "Lee. What are you doing here?"

My dark-haired neighbour shrugged, and I noticed that he barely wore any outdoor clothing, like me. Just a white sweater with black slacks. No coat, no scarf, no gloves, nothing. It almost seemed like he, too, didn't feel the cold at all. "I was just grocery shopping," he said with a guarded expression. I obviously wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable after our last exchange.

"Well, I should probably leave you to go on home, then," I breathed, not looking at him, but instead at my feet. I tried to turn away from him, but my shoulder was caught in his grasp, which gave the strangest feeling. It was like he had no body temperature. He wasn't warm at all, and I couldn't tell if he was cold. It was just like a gust of heavy air landed on my shoulder like a physical thing, and it made chills race up my spine.

"Hang on," he said slowly, letting his hand tear from my shoulder like it had burned him. Slowly, I turned back to face him, my expression obviously betraying the emotions I was feeling; sizzling anger, bitter resentment, and a hint of sorrow. I didn't understand why this complete stranger would just completely dis me one day, then start chatting me up the next. My Shugo Chara were also watching him carefully, like they were almost sizing him up.

"Where are you trying to go?" He asked carefully, like I was a child who had been told never to talk to strangers but got entangled with one, anyway (which, I guess, was true).

"The event centre," I said politely, but my expression still held the characteristics of ice. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Let me take you there."

I actually snorted. "Yeah. Because going places with you seems like a fantastic idea after what happened last time we were alone together."

"Snow," both Lilith and Vivian hissed in my ear, like they were warning me about something. Even though I kept my gaze steadily trained on Lee, my attention shifted to them. What were they trying to say? Why should I even be talking with this man? I felt so tired already, and I hadn't even been talking with him for five minutes.

"I apologized for my disorderly conduct last time," he murmured softly, the same look on his face that he had in the elevator overtaking his features again. "It's just that… I can't really explain it. But I never meant to hurt you in any way, nor do I ever want to. You just… remind me a lot of someone I used to know very well, and they're gone now. So I guess I was shoving my emotions on to you, and that was hardly fair." He took me completely by surprise when he actually bowed down in front of me, his long black hair spilling over his shoulders in his inky ponytail. "I'm really very sorry. I'll try not to do it again."

Okay, now  _a lot_ of people were looking at us strangely. I floundered about nervously, waving my hands back and forth and saying, "Okay, okay, I get it. I forgive you. I'm sorry if I… brought up painful memories for you." He stood up straight again with the most relieved expression on his face that I actually did forgive him for acting like I was some sort of disease. He seemed to have really regretted the way he acted. "But… if I may ask, who is it I remind you of?" I asked, thinking back to the very first time I saw him and he called me by my father's name.

Lee opened his mouth as if to say something, but his eyebrows drew down again and created sad shadows all over his face. It looked like he wanted to tell me what he was thinking about, but he couldn't. Like there was something stopping him. So I just waved off the question and said, "Never mind. So, to make it up to me, I'll take that ride to the event centre now." I pulled my cell phone out of my purse to check the time and winced. It was nearly nine o'clock, which was when the concert was scheduled to start.

He grinned at me in reassurance and gestured over to his sleek vehicle parked on the side of the street. "Well, come on, then." As we clambered in, he began to make polite conversation as he changed gear shifts and pulled out of his makeshit parking space. "Could it be you're going to the concert sponsored by Easter tonight? I hear that Hoshina girl is performing."

My jaw dropped. "You know of her?"

"Well, she is pretty famous around here. It's kind of hard not to."

A heavy sigh tore from my throat as I sank further into the leather seat in shame. So I really was just out of the loop. "Yes, that is where I'm going. My friends are taking me."

"That sounds nice," he said, and he seemed honestly happy to hear that I had some company with me. "It's great that you're fitting in here so well. If you ever need anything, you can always come to me. I know your-" He cut himself off again, and the entire mood in the car shifted as his expression sobered. "Yeah, I'll uh… I'll do what I can."

"You don't have to, you know," I said to him, a confused look drawing my face down. "I barely even know you, and I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself by now. I don't want you to help me and get nothing in return."

He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "trust me, I'm getting something". I chose not to pursue it, since it would just create more tension between us and there was still quite a bit of road to cover before we reached the event centre. To fill the awkward silence, Lee pressed a fluorescent blue button which switched on the radio, and a broadcaster's clear and severe-sounding voice hummed through the speakers.

 _"The number of victims have been increasing at an alarming rate,"_ the man's voice announced through the speakers.  _"There have been two this week, a male and female couple that had apparently just been leaving a party at a friend's home that very night. Just a block away from their individual homes is where the attack occurred, and forensics are still trying to identify what could've made those bite marks on their-"_

Just as I was leaning in to further hear the news in this city that was completely catching me off guard, Lee switched off the radio again with almost inhuman speed and a guarded, wide-eyed expression on his face. He seemed much paler than usual, and that made his complexion that of pure white snow.

"What was that all about?" I asked, more to myself than him, but he responded anyway.

"Oh, you know," he murmured, trying and failing to come off as nonchalant. "Every city has its crimes, right? Lately there have been some animal attacks around here is all."

"Huh?" I demanded, and I glanced around as if to confirm what I already knew. "But there's hardly any woods or anything around here. Where would the animals come from?"

"I don't know," Lee muttered- almost growled- very lowly, his expression darkening again. "But they're here, and they're hurting people. It's best for you to always get a ride from me at night if you need it. Anything could happen."

Not knowing what else to do, I simply nodded at him in complete shock. "I'll… keep that in mind."

Animal attacks? In a big, modern city like this? That didn't seem to make any sense. I never knew there was such a history of brutality around here. It seemed like such a peaceful place, except for the war of "eggs of the heart" behind the scenes that no one else knew- or cared- about. But ever since I had moved here, more and more strange happenings had begun to occur around me, like I was a magnet for trouble and disaster. I would have to be careful from now on, though I didn't know from what.

From the looks of the bright, cylindrical lights that were beaming and weaving in the dark night sky, we were almost at the event centre. The street was gradually being lit up by multi-coloured strobes, which illuminated their dampness from the constant autumn showers. Lee's jaw was set as he carefully weaved and navigated throughout the giant turnout of all different sorts of cars, and with my hearing, I could already hear some music playing from the inside and the idle chatter of patrons gushing of their excitement. This was the first big concert I had ever really been to, besides jazz fests at Mardi Gras, and I could already tell that I wasn't going to be a huge fan of them. They seemed loud and buzzy, like insects that would just never die.

As Lee kept driving smoothly throughout the crowd, he briefly glanced over to me in the passenger seat looking out the windows with a slight scowl on my face. I could feel his gaze travel down to my chest and stay there, and before I got entirely creeped out, he said, "That's a lovely necklace you're wearing."

 _Oh._ I hadn't noticed it had slipped out again. I touched it lightly, feeling the icy air come off of it in an almost reassuring way, and said, "Thank you." He didn't look like he was finished staring at it yet, so I cautiously added, "Um… it was given to me."

"It looks nice on you," he added, much to my increasing suspicion. "You should wear it as often as possible. It really brings out your eyes." His words sounded very awkward, as if he was coming up with them on the spot, but his gaze was earnest- and almost pleading.

So I simply responded, "I… I guess I'll try to."

Whatever it was about what I had said, it made Lee get this unbearably ecstatic look on his face, like I had made his entire day with one simple sentence. The atmosphere in the cramped space of the car seemed to be one that you would find at a carnival: filled with joy and excitement. I didn't say anything about; I just looked down at my Shugo Chara sitting carelessly in my lap, who merely shrugged with knowing looks in their eyes. What was it with this necklace? It seemed to be drawing a lot of unwarranted attention everywhere I went.

While Lee turned his head back to the windshield, I nonchalantly tucked it back under my shirt. I could've just taken it off, but considering what he had just asked me to do, I didn't think it'd be too polite. Besides, the necklace did go with everything. And it gave me a strange feeling of security, even if it was slightly sinister.

I almost snorted audibly when looking back on how big of a freak I was being over a piece of jewelry. It didn't necessarily even show me the vision that I saw; I may had just been remembering a movie I saw a long time ago or something, that had an identical necklace in it… that even sounded ridiculous in my head.

After what felt like an eternity of comfortable silence, Lee precariously stopped the car right by the entrance to the centre. There were people in front of the car that were glaring through the windshield, considering their legs had just been lightly nudged by a car, but most of the crowd remained unperturbed and chatting and laughing happily, their breath mixing together into one giant cloud of steam that hung around the area like a shroud.

Lee waited a moment before asking me a question that stopped me dead in my tracks in my attempt to get out of the car. "Aren't you going to be cold?"

I hadn't brought a coat. Well, that would probably make me stand out a little bit. Or maybe not, since so many people clumped together would mean in intense share of body heat. I was grasping at straws and I knew it, but nonetheless I found my voice to respond. "I figured I didn't need one. You know, since I'm going to be inside for the majority of the time, and there's going to be a lot of heat going around."

There was a look in his eyes, one that said he knew I was lying. But he wasn't wearing a jacket either. Then again, he was just going in and out of his car, so he probably really didn't need to. But he simply nodded and said, "As long as you don't get sick or something. Make sure to take care of yourself."

"I will. Thank you so much for the ride." I paused just as I opened the car door and cast one leg out. My head tilted back towards him slightly, and I said, "I'm sorry I was rude before."

And then I was rushing into the crowd of people without looking back, my cheeks alight with embarrassment. To me, apologizing had always felt like I was submitting to someone, and I also hated being in the wrong. Therefore, I understood all too well why pride was considered a sin. That's also what prevented me from getting too close to people, idiotic as it was. I knew I should work to change that, since I was going to be communicating with a group of classmates very often, but that was going to be very difficult.

Speaking of which, I didn't even have to scan the crowd before I heard Yaya-san's voice screaming out my name. I glanced to my right with a strained expression on my face, since people were turning to look at me from her yelling and pointing in my general direction, and I saw the Guardians huddled together in a small group closer to the doors than the rest of the concert-goers. I scuttled over to them, my heels clicking hurriedly on the wet pavement, and reached them as quickly as possible so I wouldn't be confronted with my junior's incessant yelling any longer.

"You're here just in time," Tadase-kun said with his usual grin, his usually creamy cheeks flushed and a deep red from the cold. His breath came out in small puffs of white as he spoke. "They're just about to open the doors to the hall. We shouldn't have to wait too long before the concert gets started."

"Oh, and we have some  _great_ news," Kukai-kun said, and I detected a hint of sarcasm in his usually chipper voice. "Guess who decided to tag along with us because he managed to get a seat close by?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "I have no clue who you're talking about."

As if being summoned from far away, Mr. Nikaidou popped up from behind the group of teenagers like some sort of ghoul in a Japanese thriller, bestowing looks of pure annoyance on their faces. "Hey, Himayuki-san!" He yelled, and my expression once again betrayed the emotion running through me: disgust. "What a coincidence, huh? I thought I should hang with you guys since, you know, I just can't let my students attend some wil concert all by themselves!"

"The gesture is much appreciated, Mr. Nikaidou," I said to him while exercising the utmost patience. This man was truly very annoying, and he always had this dazed look in his eyes, so he wouldn't be much help for anything, I assumed. "But legally, I'm an adult. If you think that they need a supervisor, I'm plenty old and mature enough."

It was so quick that I almost missed it, but a flash of something calculating and snapping flashed through Nikaidou's usually tired-looking eyes. It was like he was taking mental notes of the entire conversation, and his mouth was set in a hard line before he smiled goofily at me again. "Be that as it may, you're still my precious students, and a pretty young thing like you, Himayuki-san, is bound to be eyes by some really suspicious fellas."

 _Like you?_ I struggled to force a smile on my face. "Well, uh, thanks, I guess."

When Nikaidou looked away from us to examine the crowd and make completely useless comments, Kukai-kun tossed an arm around my shoulder and pulled me down into a crouch so he could whisper in my ear. "He's one of  _your_ teachers. Do something about him!"

"Well, what do you have in mind?" I demanded back. "It's not like he's doing anything wrong. Besides, he really is just looking out for us, isn't he?"

He gave me a look. "Even if that were true, he could get in the way of our mission. We're supposed to be observing, remember? This entire shindig is being headed by Easter, and we need to know what exactly we're up against- and  _who_ we're up against. We won't be able to properly focus if Scatterbrains over there keeps getting in the way."

"Aww, come on," I said with a roll of my eyes, simultaneously nudging his elbow with my own. "He may be a slight... okay, a big hindrance, but Mr. Nikaidou means well. I'm sure we can make our way around him and so our jobs properly." I connected gazes with the latter and earned a cheerfully lazy wave. My response was flashing a slightly hesitant grin back. "Come on, Kukai-kun, we've got spying to do, and we're perfectly capable of doing it even with his presence."

Just as I turned around to go back and join the rest of the Guardians (and the present annoyance), Kukai-kun grasped my wrist. Even though it was supposed to be cold outside, I could still feel the pounding warmth of his hand through my sleeve. I shifted my head to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"Kukai," he said suddenly, looking right into my eyes with his honest and snapping green ones. "It sounds weird with an honourific."

I just blinked. "Kukai-kun."

He let go of my wrist and threw his hands in the air, an exasperated expression on his face. "Fine then, ignore me."

And then I shrugged non-committally. "I don't really use anyone's name so familiarly." Except... I did. With just one person, though. The realization came to me so suddenly and shockingly that my eyes actually widened a fraction. Completely unconsciously, I had been calling Ikuto's name with no honourific, of all people. It had just seemed so natural to do so, like we were actually life-long friends, and then I realized he did the same. We were acting... surprisingly close for two people who had just met not two weeks ago.

For whatever reason, that made my entire body feel warm, especially right in the face. Kukai-kun had to tap me on the shoulder a couple of times to get my attention so we could return to the Guardians. My thoughts were completely elsewhere as everyone listened to Nikaidou-sensei's incessant and pointless ramblings, like on the face of the guy who saved me from getting violated from malevolent strangers. He really did look like a knight or something. A dark one. But a knight, no less.

 _Aggh, stop thinking like this!_  I screamed at myself while pressing the heels of my hands to my burning temples.  _He's a perfect stranger to you, one that seems to have no qualms whatsoever with sexually harassing you. Quit thinking about him. You have bigger fish to fry tonight._

But looking back on that fateful night, I remembered something that actual shook my entire frame with shock. Why hadn't I remembered it before? Well, with all the things that went down that night, it probably seemed like a minor detail to me. But now it struck me as strange and something to be wary of. When I was being attacked, just before Ikuto had run in to save me, those guys had become distracted by something.

And that something was oddly luminescent ice clawing up their legs like vengeful beasts.

Now, I was no expert, but I was pretty sure ice didn't just do that. It was frozen water. An inanimate object. So why had it suddenly just sprung up like that? I couldn't merely just dismiss it as a hallucination; the men had very much noticed it sticking to them, a frozen leech that stole body heat in the blink of an eye. My body felt hot all over again, but for a completely different reason; it was something like fear, suspicion, and... the feeling of being dangerously close to a flame. You knew it would burn if you touched it, but you couldn't help but prod anyway. I was close to something. I didn't know what, but I knew something wasn't entirely right. It was a song on the tip of my tongue that I knew I had heard before, but couldn't remember the name. How bizarre.

"Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun said very suddenly, close enough to my ear that I whirled around with a red face and slapped him with my pigtails. He simply smiled before I could even think of apologizing and said, "They're opening the doors now. We can go inside."

"R-right," I stammered, forcing a grin on my face that obviously looked crooked and terrible. But I couldn't help it. Something about this night felt entirely wrong and foreboding very strikingly, and I felt as though I was all alone even surrounded by hundreds of people. As we filed slowly but surely into the entertainment centre, music blaring from the speakers and people chattering all around us, all I could hear was the nippy wind howling in my ears, and the pressure of the body heat swelling all around me.

I was overreacting. I had to be. And now I was spiralling into a full-blown panic attack. I had to get it together. The Guardians and I had a mission to perform tonight, and I couldn't properly fulfil it if I was constantly distracted by what I had simply perceived to happen. I took a deep breath and freed my mind form anything involving that night, or myself in general. Instead I focused on the hall around me, the small of concession snacks, the looks of the dark red carpet covering the floors and slate walls all around. Posters of what were apparently famous stars around here surrounded and covered almost every wall, one of which looked particularly familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"We'll still have to wait a bit before they actually let us into the theatre," Nadeshiko-san said, checking her stylish wrist watch. "What should we do until then?"

"I'd like to say check around," Kukai-kun responded in a hushed voice, for Mr. Nikaidou was always lurking behind us like some sort of phantom. "But we don't want to come off as suspicious. Maybe grab some snacks and magazines or something."

"Sounds good!" Yaya-san squealed, and darted off to a standee of some boy band, dragging Nadeshiko-san with her for pictures.

"Don't get lost, Hisayuki," Kukai-kun jeered at me, and I elbowed him in the ribs. My eyes scanned all around the hall- or what I could see of it beyond the huge crowd milling about. And just in the corner of my eye, just a darting glance in my peripheral vision, I swore I saw a very familiar, dark, and hulking figure staring forlornly at one of the posters. My eyes flicked to which one they were looking at. It was of a girl with platinum hair, large purple eyes, and the complexion and features of a doll.

It was her high pigtails that made me remember her.  _It was the girl tailing me in Winners!_  My gaze darted around again and again, and I caught a glimpse of the aforementioned figure heading in the direction of a blocked-off hallway. I pushed my way through, apologizing all the while, until I made it over to the wide-arched entrance of said hallway. A velvet rope was blocking my path, with a sign that clearly said 'No Trespassing' hanging off of it.  _Well, no one can live life without some debauchery_ , I thought to myself with a shrug as I easily swung one of my long legs over and began quietly sprinting down the hall, white hair flying behind me like a snowstorm.

There were multiple doors, all with signs saying what was exactly inside: Director's office, Studio, Photo Shoots, and even the names of performers that were clearly prepping before the show. One in particular caught my attention, because I swore I saw Ikuto sweep into it like a stealthy shadow. I tiptoed in front of it, glancing left and right for security or something, and read the nameplate. It read "Backstage" in bold black letters. I checked the handle. Unlocked.

Well. Whoever ran this place wasn't too clever. I opened it just a crack to peek inside, trying to see if I could catch sight of Ikuto again, or even the girl from Winners. All I could catch was black, snake-like wires slithering all across the ground, dark gray areas with hardly any lighting, carts piled with props, and extra speakers, instruments, and equipment. Cautiously, I took a step inside, my heel clacking against the hard concrete floor. I cursed under my breath and slipped the shoes off, then tiptoed inside while silently closing the door behind me. Next to no light peeked inside, making it harder to see. I had to feel around with my feet for a time, which proved to have great consequence, since every wire I touched actually felt like a snake underneath my foot. It took all I had not to let a squeal out of me. Also, I nearly tripped on several occasions.

For about five minutes, I blindly felt my way inside, thinking that maybe I should go back to the Guardians since the show could be starting soon. They probably noticed that I had miraculously disappeared, and may had even been looking for me. I could have just imagined seeing Ikuto, as well, considering that I evidently had some weird obsession with the guy. With a slight sigh, I turned to start navigating my way back to the door, but then I heard very murmured voices talking gravely.

 _People!_  Even though it was hard to see, I still felt for a wall and popped behind it. With my hearing, I could decipher what they were saying slightly, though there was clearly some distance between us. Although I had no idea who could've been speaking, for the lack of light, but the voices sounded vaguely familiar. Though the rapid thundering of my heart was drowning out any possible opportunity for coherent identification.

"The concert will be starting soon," said a deeper, more mature voice, possibly that of an adult male. "Is Utau ready?"

That was the girl that was stalking me. So something  _was_  going on with her. Another voice, obviously high-pitched and female, responded, "Ready as she'll ever be. With all of those kids here tonight, we're bound to find the Embryo somewhere. And Utau's going to be the one to get it."

The Embryo?! These people  _must_  have been working for Easter! That was the only explanation. But what did this Utau girl have to do with it? What was she going to do to get the Embryo? The older male voice let out something like a snort. "Please. She'll chicken out at the last second, like she always does. Too scared to actually pull out kids' eggs in case they happen to break."

Even though it was said sardonically, there was so much more meaning behind them than I could have ever imagined.  _Pull out_  kids' eggs? How could she do that?  _Why_ would she do that? And a chance the eggs could break? Something was seriously wrong with these people if they had absolutely no problem with taking away people's dreams and destroying them forever. I had to tell the Guardians. And maybe find this Utau girl if I had time and stop her before she does anything she'd regret.

Without a glance back, I blindly ran over all the cords snaking across the floor, my right hand that had been clutching the wall throughout that entire conversation feeling strangely hot. Just before I reached for the door handle and scooped up my shoes to make an escape, I heard the man say in complete shock and dismay "Hey... what the hell is that on the wall?"

The female responded with the same amount of shock, "It looks like…  _ice._ "

T

For the life of me, I couldn't ever remember running so desperately for something. But all I could think of as I shoved my way through the large crowd that was gradually spilling into the concert hall was that I had to find the Guardians and tell them what I had heard, and perhaps even make an attempt to stop anything serious before it happened. Getting lost hadn't seriously bothered me before, but now I was extremely worried about losing my way and not having enough time to do anything about the X-Egg situation before it happened. I received countless glares from the people I shoved aside as gently as I could manage and from stepping on their feet in heels. No matter how much I scanned over the crowd, I couldn't see any sign of them, and I didn't want to stop to text them and see where they were. So I kept running as fast as possible, which proved to be very difficult in a place that was the equivalent of people clustering together to escape a burning building.

Not even a bit winded yet, I managed to skirt my way into the concert hall, where there were thousands of seats and people waiting eagerly in them for the performance to start. I couldn't hear a damn thing over each individual conversation flowing together into one huge beehive of noise and chatter, and therefore couldn't focus on a single thing to see or hear. Lilith was the only one by my side to try and point me in the right direction; Vivian had gone off to see if she could find the Guardians herself. Which was probably the worst idea on the planet, in hindsight, since she was so tiny and could get lost more easily than a needle in a haystack in a place like this.

My heart was racing as I threw panicked glances around the area. I was about ready to throw my head back and scream from frustration. All I could think of was X-Eggs being drawn from innocent people on purpose, all because of some teenage girl that probably had no clue what that possibly meant for the victims. I couldn't sit back and let that happen, but where was I supposed to go from here? I didn't know where the Guardians were, and time was my greatest enemy.

Just as I was about to start yelling out their names at the top of my lungs and see if that produced results, I felt a warm grip clamp on my shoulder. I whirled around in surprise to see Mr. Nikaidou standing behind me with that goofy grin of his, and sagged in relief. If nothing else, he was good for something tonight.

"Himayuki-san," he said, and I was so relieved I didn't bother to correct him. "Are you alright? We've been looking all around for you." I could only nod very quickly and desperately, which most likely resulted in my looking like a bobble head. "Come on, then. I'll lead you to our seats."  
When he turned around to start leading the way, I saw Vivian hanging off of his shirt so desperately it could've been a cliff. Her hands were almost talons, and she had the most traumatized look on her face that I almost laughed. I discreetly plucked her off and masked the tugging on his shirt as me holding on to it not to lose him again. He led me down countless aisles with so many varieties of people that I swore I was getting whiplash, Lilith laughing at her dizzy sister in a sadistic sort of way the whole time. I hoped they weren't torturing each other while I wasn't looking, but I didn't want to glance back to make sure.

Mr. Nikaidou eventually got us to our seats, where the rest of the Guardians were waiting with anxious expressions. Upon our arrival, Kukai-kun jumped up, grabbed me by the shoulders, and began shaking me so roughly I swore my head would fall off. "Are you out of your mind?" He demanded. "You should've never gone off on your own! Your sense of direction is so awful I'm surprised you made it back at all!"

"I take offense to that," I muttered distractedly as I shrugged out of his grip. "But, guys, we have a problem. I accidentally ended up backstage and I heard these people talking-"

"Alright, everybody!" Said a booming, crackling voice from some very loud speakers. My first reaction was to wince and throw my hands over my ears, earning a concerned look from Tadase-kun who escorted me to a seat between him and Mr. Nikaidou. The voice kept speaking, oblivious to the pain caused from my sensitive hearing, and said something like the concert would be starting now.  _Shit!_ There wasn't any time left for me to try and sabotage whatever plan they had, not to mention that my skull felt as though rocks were being viciously pelted at it. All I could do was watch and see if any X-Eggs were drawn out, then somehow purify them if there were. I was completely useless in a dire situation.

"Are you alright, Hisayuki-san?" Tadase-kun asked me.

I forced a trembling smile while holding my head tenderly. "Yes, I'm okay. That was just a bit unexpected, is all." I sat back in my smoothly upholstered seat, unable to define any redeeming features of the hall within the darkness. My gaze sobered as I stared straight ahead at the stage, of which we were just a few rows away from. "Now all we have to do is watch."

Tadase-kun wasn't nearly as tactless as I had thought; the look on his face told me that he knew I was hiding something, but that he wouldn't push it and put his faith in me. I was amazed that he was able to have such a deep trust in an almost-stranger, and was deeply endeared by the thought of him doing so. So I smiled warmly at him before returning my gaze to the stage again, momentarily catching him off-guard and letting a flush creep into his face. That gave me a strange sense of satisfaction that put an untimely smirk on my face as the lights on the stage dimmed and an eerie melody began playing.

The melody was haunting, to say the least. It started off very slowly, but then picked up with a sinister piano riff. And then a single spotlight came on the stage, and sure enough, there stood Hoshina Utau, clad in a scarce black dress with a silver ring belt and high heels, hair in the platinum high pig-tails I recognized her with in Winners. I could understand why she was so popular; the very music of her songs was the type that you always catch yourself humming without even noticing it. And her voice itself was mature and low-pitched, but also that of a smooth angel's. All in all, I was very impressed by the performance, especially since her voice was handled so well that it ever once wavered. But one thing disturbed me as I listened to the song, lost in it like the rest of the audience around me staring in wonder- somehow, she was going to pull out X-Eggs with that voice, and the song that sounded like it was sending the message of a desire to be free from any sort of restraint. Something was off. It almost seemed  _too_ perfect.

Around me, I could hear that members of the audience were in awe. A boy just in front of me was professing to his guardian how Utau-san made him want to be a singer as well. Another girl a few seats away and her friend were gushing how amazing they viewed the singer to be. There were many more, and all the masses of the excited civilians together made one huge, melancholy, dream-like reality to me, and I was actually in shock of how much a song and one person could affect so many. And also at how someone could dream of taking that away.

Just as what seemed to be the chorus began to play, and the whole stage became illuminated in a light blue sort of light, something began to happen. A shift of atmosphere flowed in the air, making all the minuscule hairs on my body stand on end. On Utau-san's back- which was very hard for me to see- small, black objects sprung out of nowhere, leaving red glittery particles in their wake, and they looked almost like bat wings. The people that were once speaking so animatedly of her and of their dreams quieted down in a very sinister way, and the looks on their once excited faces began to fall. My hands that were once laying relaxed on the armrest of my seat clenched into claws as my eyes widened and eyebrows drew down. What was going on? What was she doing?

The other Guardians seemed to be just as alert as I was. Normal people must not have been able to see them, for the rest of the crowd continued to cheer happily, and Mr. Nikaidou seemed blissfully unaware. Then Utau-san pointed at the audience with a single finger, a malicious expression on her face, and the three kids that had once been so joyful of the performance suddenly reeled back with simultaneous gasps and something jolted out of their bodies- their chests to be exact. I narrowed my eyes at the objects, and then a gasp tore from my throat like someone had put their hand down there and ripped my very heart out.

 _X-Eggs_.

Did Utau do this? Through her  _singing?_ That had to be impossible! But then again, having eggs come out of you in the first place should have been impossible enough. Utau-san got a satisfied expression on her face and continued to sing, oblivious to the obvious dreamless suffering occurring in the audience. My hands clenched even tighter on the armrests, my expression becoming all the more panicked. The Guardians were talking quietly and hurriedly on what they thought they could do, and my Shugo Chara looked at me and suddenly got very worried.

"Snow- calm down," Vivian said, taking me by even more surprise. How could I remain calm in a situation like this? There wasn't much I could do when surrounded by  _thousands of people._ "You need to remain calm. We can deal with this later, somehow- just relax."

"Yeah, don't get ahead of yourself," Lilith cooed while floating by my head and stroking it, which was very odd coming from her.  _Why are they trying to calm me down so much?!_ "Leave this to the Guardians to figure out."

But I couldn't just heed their warnings. The X-Eggs were flying around, making strange noises that almost resembled giggles.  _No…_ The kids they came from were slouched in their seats, their eyes vacant and almost- soulless.  _No._ My nails were tearing into the fabric of my seat, and they strangely felt like they had been stuck into a blazing fire without any incentive. Vivian and Lilith were in full-on panic attacks now, screaming at me to stop and "control it", whatever that meant, but now my hands were almost numb from pain, and upon glancing down at them, I noticed something strange that made me freak out even more.

Mr. Nikaidou was staring down at them in shock and disdain as well, since the veins on them had turned from looking like irregular branches on some kind of tree to the patterns that could appear on stereotypical snowflakes and frost coating windows. Not to mention that they appeared to be covered in frost itself.

Too much was happening at once. My mind was becoming clouded, and everything around me seemed to be happening in slow motion. The X-Eggs dancing tauntingly in the air. The children breathing heavily with completely blank eyes. The veins in my hand that had actually begun to  _move_ mysteriously, snakes of blood slithering through the water of my body. And my hands were becoming frozen to the armrests, much to my and Mr. Nikaidou's dismay.

Utau-san continued to sing in her evocative and smooth voice, and she seemed to be looking straight at me with a devious sort of smile.

And again, all I could think was a very strong and piercing, " _NO."_

Besides Utau-san's singing, the murmuring of the Guardians, and the screeching of my Shugo Chara, a strange sort of sound began to lance through the air. A sound that resembled the wail of a newborn baby that penetrated the barrier of sound. Glass that had just begun to crack from too much pressure being laid upon it. Icicles shattering against the ground in the frozen, barren wasteland of winter. Another noise, one of groaning and all-out  _shattering_ made all conversation and music come to a halt, and Utau-san was tackled away from the stage by a familiar, lithe figure cloaked in darkness just as a row of stage lights, ropes, and sandbags all came crashing down on the stage at once. After the sound of glass breaking, sand poofing around, and the crunch and screech of metal, was pure and deadly silence. Sparks flew off of the mechanical devices and if one looked closely enough, they could see what was likely to blame for the malfunction and crash.

Lethal clumps of large, sharpened ice with a mysterious blue-violet hue.

I rose from my seat with difficulty, my hands able to break away from the armrests with the sound of ripping fabric. As I stood there, panting, with a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead, the entire hall of people began to scream, cry, and flee from the scene, despite the crackling announcer's voice commanding everyone to be calm. The Guardians remained cool and chose to exit quietly as well, Tadase-kun tugging my hand close behind him, since I was unable to carry myself in my delirium. The X-Eggs were frantically skittering about, and managed to bolt out from the skylights into the darkness of the night. Seeing that tore my from my delusions, and I ripped my hand from Tadase-kun's and began making a bolt in the other direction, towards the stage exit door that seemed closer to the outside. No matter what happened, I had to purify those eggs. I had to save those kids and give them hope for the future. I simply wouldn't allow their dreams to be scorched away from them like that. Not while I was fully capable of doing something.

Even though the Guardians were calling out my name behind me, I didn't turn around. I kept pushing through the sea of people until I was able to clumsily clamour on to the stage, adrenaline pumping through my changing veins and rapidly pounding heart, giving me strength to shove the heavy door open and scour outside for the little bastards. All to be seen was the night sky, dark and foreboding clouds slashing out the stars and full moon. It made the scene all the more otherworldly and frightening. I rapidly threw glances in all directions, my Shugo Chara doing the same as they sat on my shoulders, and only saw the shadows creeping out towards me with clawed hands from the bare tree branches. In the distance, I could hear the rush of conversation and screams from the crowd still making their frantic exit, but other than that, it was only Lilith, Vivian, the howling wind, and I.

Or so I thought. A shudder suddenly coursed its way down my spine, and I whirled around to look behind me. Of course the X-Eggs were suddenly there- all three, perfectly enough- and they were lined up all nice and tidy as they continued to make those strange chortling sounds that sounded about as cuddly as a rabid beaver. One flew down with so much speed it was only a black blur, and struck me right in the shoulder. I cursed in surprise from how much it hurt and clenched it tight with my right hand.  _Holy shit what was even happening?_

It looked like they were all preparing to strike me at once. I couldn't avoid it, even if I Character Transformed, which I obviously didn't have the time for, anyway. All I could do was try to dodge out of the way as quickly as I could. They began flashing through the air, faster than anything imaginable, and I looked to the side to see if I could make a leap quick enough. Turns out, I didn't need to.

Catching me completely off-guard, something warm and secure clamped underneath my legs and clutched me to it. Hands. I blinked in surprise as a person held me tightly to them and leaped out of the way too quickly to be considered normal. The X-Eggs swept by where I had just stood, then seemed to glance around in confusion. I was completely speechless as I looked up to my saviour, only to see the last person I expected.

"Ikuto?!" I demanded, and began struggling viciously in his arms with a blush attacking my face. It was Ikuto, all right. I recognized that pale face that almost seemed to glow in the moonlight, the hair that was like coruscating water in the darkest night. And, of course, the bottomless midnight eyes that looked carefully blank just then. He didn't look how he usually did then; instead of wearing his trademark black and blue uniform, I saw that he was wearing all black leather (dear  _god_ ), which included a halter top with a cracked cross hanging off of it, long pants with whips attached, and freaking Wolverine-looking claws attached to his knuckles. And naturally, there were dark cat ears on his head, flicking in time with the wind.

That just made me struggle all the more. I had to get away from him. Not because I was upset from his touching me; quite the opposite, really. I didn't think I could handle his bare arms wrapped tightly around me, especially since they apparently had more muscle then one would think. Also, his stomach was showing, and I was about to explode from all the heat thrumming through my body like electricity. Looking like he did should've been illegal. Why was he dressed like that, anyway? When I saw him in the hallway earlier, he was dressed normally.

Wait… the sudden change of apparel, the cat ears, and the absence of his Shugo Chara? He must have been Character Transformed! Well, if the time came when I would have to fight him looking like that, I'd lose just from fainting alone from the excessive heat exploding from me, that much was positive. He finally released me from his death-grip and regarded the X-Eggs near him with something like boredom.

That got my attention more than the outfit did. Why was he here in the first place? Character Transformed, even? "What are you doing here?" I demanded, kicking off my heels to ready for a one-sided fight, if need be. "Why did you save me?"

He shrugged, which made the shirt tug even further up his abdomen, and I darted my eyes away begrudgingly. "That wasn't really my intention. I just came to get rid of the trash."

Before I could even ask what he meant, my subconscious seemed to already know from the way my eyes travelled to the X-Eggs only to see them be slashed into millions of black and white fragments that floated to the ground gracefully, angel feathers being torn from their wings. Ikuto stood right in the midst of it, not even bothering to look at them, and he only moved by stumbling backwards in surprise and almost amusement when I punched him as hard as I could in his arm. But the humour was wiped right off his face when he saw the expression on mine.

"How could you?!" I screeched, making my Shugo Chara jump from my shoulders in shock. "Do you have any idea what you just  _did_?! What's going to happen to those kids?!"

My question was answered when the immense crowd of concert-goers were being herded out of the stadium from the back way, right by the dying garden where Ikuto and I stood, and I was able to identify the three who had their eggs snatched from them. All of them were moving sluggishly, almost like the walking dead, and their eyes were completely blank. Their parents hovered around them like nervous hummingbirds, asking what was wrong. They only shrugged and said, "I found out how reality works", then moved on with the rest of the tide.

I stared at them, completely aghast with a crestfallen look on my face, and behind me, Ikuto began to speak in his low, and at the moment, annoying voice. "You know something? Even if I hadn't broken their eggs, they would have destroyed their own." He used his clawed hand to gesture to the rest of the crowd. "You see those adults walking around, always looking so weary, tired, worn-down? They broke their own eggs long ago when they realized how unrealistic dreams were. It's the same for everyone." He looked at the moo just then, as it was slowly shying away from the clouds and showering everything in ethereal light. "None of us can be saved."

Completely incapable of finding any coherent words to respond, I remained absolutely still and silent. My fists were clenched so tightly my long nails drew blood. Just as I heard his footsteps swiftly swishing through the swaying grass as he walked away, I turned to look at him with the deadliest glare I could muster, and asked, "So  _what?_ "

Ikuto turned to look at me again, eyebrows cocked in a way that said "this should be interesting". I walked straight up to him, capable of ignoring to attraction and the stabbing pain in my chest from each step from walking by the shards of dreams, and continued my rant while jabbing a shaking finger in his face. "So what if all our dreams are bound to end tragically? That doesn't stop us from hoping. That doesn't stop us from working towards them each and every day. That doesn't stop us from giving us a reason to  _live._  Just because all dreams are bound to end doesn't mean that we forget them!" The amusement had been completely wiped off his face, and he looked deadly serious. "Adults still look back and laugh on the foolish days of their youth. Parents still wish for their children to dream and hope, even if they're bound to be crushed. And do you wanna know  _why_? It's because having dreams, and having the chance to live them, is the best fucking time of  _anyone's life!_ "

His eyes were wide saucers staring down at me with a dumbfounded expression, probably because I looked extremely vulnerable right then. The lump in my throat that was impossible to swallow away was an informant to me that I was close to tears. Probably because I was being selfish and not just speaking for those kids that had lost their only hopes I the world- but also because I was speaking for myself. I dropped my proffered hand from Ikuto's face and stared right in his eyes, pleading with my own for some sort of sign that he was not all evil like the Guardians wanted me to believe.

"Are you really okay with being the one to take that all away?" I asked, my voice hitching on the last syllable.

The look on his face right then was indescribable, and took me more by surprise than what had happened to my hands during the performance. For just one second, one second long enough to rise my hopes before they were completely dashed, he looked mortally wounded. Like my words had cut deep into his very heart and let it bleed everywhere. But then he masked it so quickly I swore I got whiplash, closed the distance between us, got right in my face, and whispered threateningly, "It's my job."

And then he leapt away with inhuman elegance and height, away into the darkness of the night where I could never see him.

So that was it then. Easter really was evil, and they really were capable of destroying innocent children's dreams. Not only them, but Ikuto as well. They were all… bad. And I had been such a fool for believing otherwise.

I knelt beside the shards of the eggs, and sorted them all into a neat pile. The edges cut my palms, but I was perfectly all right with that. It was hardly enough suffering for my incompetence. "I'm sorry," I whispered to them, even though I knew I wouldn't get an answer. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you… or myself."

As I laid them in a bed of red, wilting flowers, I made a wish straight from my heart. Something I wanted so much I was willing to give anything for it.  _I wish I could be strong enough to protect myself and everyone else around me._

The peaceful silence and my reverie were suddenly interrupted by a cracking sound. I dared a glance behind me to see what it was, and saw that my bag had something wriggling out of it. Before I could start screaming like a dying goose, the third egg of mine- the one with the changing moon phases on it- rolled out of the flap and right in front of me. Lilith and Vivian both got the most ecstatic expressions on their faces as it began to shake and stir, dark fissures tearing into its surface. The ominous clouds completely cleared away from the sky, letting the full moon's light completely burst through, a shining beacon in the darkest of times. And then the egg broke, and from it emerged my newest Shugo Chara.

She wasn't anything like Vivian or Lilith; from the very moment she floated from her safe home's shell, she came off with the impression of the utmost grace and warmth, a mother cooing over her newborn child. Her hair was a throbbing electric blue, tied into high pigtails with silver ribbons done in bows. Her eyes were bright, big, and the colour of starlight, shining up at me with complete faith and- unbelievably enough- love. Her outfit was different, as well, and completely unexpected. A dark blue, sleeveless, short kimono with a snow-white obi, unattached sleeves that fell to her small feet clad in long black boots, and twin katanas latched onto her waist. She smiled up at me, her small pink lips turning upright so sweetly it reminded me of candy, and she fell into a deep, respectful bow.

"Nice to meet you, Snow," she said to me, her voice small, light, and much like falling snow. "I'm your newest Shugo Chara, Satsuki. I was born from your desire to be stronger." She held out a tiny hand to me, and I touched the tip of my finger to it in amazement. "I hope we get along well from now on."

I smiled at her, though my entire heart wasn't in it. Something deep inside of me had broken with Ikuto's unspeakable cruelty, and another had opened with the strange freezing phenomena occurring around me. The veins in my hands appeared to be exactly like snowflakes, and there was still the ice blooming on the stage equipment like frozen flowers. Things had begun to drastically shift. The Wheel of Fortune was taking its turn.

As I stared up at the moon, feeling more melancholy and lonely than ever before, I heard Satsuki, my newest Shugo Chara, worriedly ask the other two, "How much time do we have left?"

"Not much," Lilith said, so serious and deep it was like she was watching someone die. "Not much at all."


	9. Chapter XIII - Closer to her Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the incident at Utau Hoshina's concert, Snow is left distraught and inexplicably betrayed by her own expectations. When Yaya takes her out for some cheering up, they are soon confronted with another impending victim of an X-Egg. Snow is even further confounded by her abilities that are rapidly spiraling out of control.

**Chapter XIII**   
_**Closer To Her Truth** _

_-Easter Headquarters-_

"So, I take it the concert was a failure?"

The two warring persons within the prosperous Easter Corporation exchanged a venomous glance. While the concert that had taken place earlier that night had been what could be considered a failure due to some mysterious technical difficulties, X-Eggs had indeed been extracted for the purpose of searching for the elusive Embryo, the magical egg of the heart they were assigned to search for and give to the Boss. But none of the extracted eggs had turned out to be the one they sought, and were ultimately destroyed by the infamous grunt, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, in the end. The question was which one of the employees would be the one to relay this information to the executive director of the company.

Each one of the persons that stood in front of the executive director's black, wooden desk was a male and female. The male chose to be the one to deliver the bad news, stooping into a deep bow in front of his boss. His expression couldn't be seen from the immense lack of light in the shadowy room, but one would be able to plainly see that he was not pleased. "I'm very sorry, sir," the employee said, the look on his face not one of repentance, but rather resentment. "The concert was pulled short due to technical difficulties, and Utau Hoshina was only capable of extracting a mere three X-Eggs."

The executive director was silent for a few ticks of the ominous clock on his desk, simultaneously drumming his fingers on his desk to its rhythm. Then he glanced up from his very own nameplate to his pitiful-looking employee and asked the question that would mean taking action or not if the answer he was looking for appeared. "Were the Seiyo Academy Guardians there?"

This made the male employee perk up. He stood straight once again with a smug grin spreading across his face as he responded. "Yes. But that wasn't all. It seems that the Guardians have recruited an extra pair of hands to combat us."

"Oh?" Now the executive director himself was intrigued. That could only mean a new opponent had appeared, one with what must have been formidable Guardian powers. He longed to hear more of this new information as soon as possible.

Completely unnoticed by the three adults in the room was yet another Easter employee- though not a voluntary one- lurking in the shadows of the room, silent as a phantom. His ears perked up on this topic of conversation, and he knew they could only be talking about one person. One person who he had unknowingly gone to extensive lengths to protect, even though he knew he shouldn't have. He shifted slightly from his rather bored stance of leaning carelessly against the wall into a straight standing position, ready to take action whenever need be.

"Her name," began the male, pulling a stack of papers from behind his back and slipping his milk-bottle glasses back on, "is Snow Camellia Hisayuki." The very name made the boy haunting the shadows tense up, and sent a thrum of something warm and strange right through his chest into the pit of his gut. "Just began attending Seiyo Academy not two weeks ago, and has already been recruited. Her grades are top-notch, and she's generally polite to all that speak to her, though remains fairly introverted." The male made a face of approval. "That could be used to our advantage."

"Anything… interesting?" The executive director asked, clearly looking for one thing and one thing only: something to use against her.

"That's the thing," said the male, narrowing his eyes at the student file in front of him. "Her background info is very spotty, dismal at best. Born January twenty-first, nineteen ninety-five, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighteen years of age, and weighs one hundred and twenty-seven pounds, with a height of five feet and eleven point six inches." All of this information was a valuable surprise to the shadowed boy, and he committed it to memory for reasons unbeknownst even to him. She felt a lot lighter than what he had said, and looked so small and frail, like she was made of glass and would break if not treated with care.

"But here's where it gets complicated. Her real parents aren't listed here. Her real name isn't even Hisayuki, but comes up as a blank. It says she was adopted by the Johnston family at age six."

The boy in the shadows nearly jerked in surprise. Someone like Snow… had been adopted? What had happened to her parents? Was she… all alone in the world?

"Upon further speculation," the male continued, attempting to smooth back the scattered pieces of the cowlicks he called hair. "It turns out her mother had been transported out of the country for heavily guarded reasons, and her father went missing altogether. She was hospitalized soon after her mother left, then turned over to an orphanage before adopted. At all of her schools thereafter, there has been what seems to be a record of violence. From just kicking over a few chairs to sending a senior in high school to the hospital for a broken collarbone in the ninth grade." The boy did his best to hold in a snort of laughter. Snow Hisayuki didn't really seem well-built enough to hurt anyone. The punch of hers he had received earlier that night barely even throbbed anymore. What hurt him far more deeply than that was the look of pure devastation and heartbreak on her face, something he had never expected to happen for as long as he lived.  
He supposed he knew why now. She had yelled at him, cursed him, essentially, for breaking the X-Eggs of three dreamers, not knowing how much it broke him, as well. It must have been because she knew what it felt like to have her dreams torn away from her all at once, since she lost both of her parents and was transferred from place to place like some sort of package, receiving new stamps and wounds from each place she visited. Why was she here now? Had she run away? All sorts of guesses and assumptions ran through his mind, and he supposed he could never know without asking her directly. Not that she would be talking to him anymore. He had gone to extensive lengths- breaking eggs in front of her- to make sure she wouldn't feel the need to associate with him again, despite him being to one to approach her all times before. He had the insatiable and inexplicable desire to protect her ever since the first time he saw her, getting cornered and potentially violated by some random and idiotic thugs.

The reasoning he had given her was because those men had simply annoyed him as he was taking his walk. But the fact of the matter was entirely different. He had been a distance behind her, intermingling with the crowd, when he saw her get pulled away with the most stricken and offended look on her face that he laughed out loud before realizing she was in danger. Even from far away, he saw her eyes. They were rather hard to ignore, with the almost toxic violet colour and neon blue ring around the pupil. Those eyes held a strength, awareness, and humanity he had never seen before, and when he finally noticed that she was going to be harmed and possibly traumatized forever, all he could think was, 'not her'. He had rushed to her rescue before even noticing what was happening, and had conflicting opinions on the matter ever since. He was glad to have met her, to have a slight spot of light in his world consumed in darkness. To be able to see her smile that cast a sort of wondrous spell over him, one that made his worries temporarily fly away and make his heart almost stop. But knowing her meant getting her involved in whatever business he had. And now it was too late to try and do anything to save her. She was already in too deep.  
He didn't know who- or what- she was, and he didn't care to know. All he could do was continue to fight the Guardians while interacting with her as little as possible. Even if it meant that he couldn't have a spot of happiness anymore, so be it. Her snow-white purity should no longer have been tainted by the very air he breathed. Okay- maybe that was a bit excessive. But he really felt that he didn't deserve to be in her presence at all.

Oblivious to the war the boy was waging on himself, the employee trudged on to yet another fact about Snow Hisayuki that caught his undivided attention. "She has two Shugo Chara that I've seen so far, the same amount as Little Blondie. But that isn't all. I have reason to believe that her powers go far beyond that."

At the same time the executive director made a noise of interest, the boy tensed. What could he mean? What more was there to the enigma known as Snow Hisayuki? It was a good thing he had skipped out on hanging out with Toma and Keigo- the two boys that could be considered his only true friends- that night; he never would've heard this information otherwise.

"You are aware that the reason of the stage equipment malfunctioning was that large clumps of ice had frozen it solid and weighed it down so much it crashed," the male confirmed. "Well, I happened to be sitting next to the Hisayuki girl as it was happening. Her expression showed that she was under a lot of strain, and also…" He looked up from scanning the long papers in his hands to stare right into the eyes of his superior, strangely serious for his usually seemingly flippant attitude. "The veins in her hands began shifting, as if working out some sort of power, and frost was freezing them to the armrests. Her Shugo Chara had been urging her to 'relax' and 'control it'. Thus I believe that there is more to this young lady than meets the eye. Something is different about her. And all of these things could potentially be used to our advantage if we play our cards right. All we need to do is be extra careful around the Guardians and they'll never be the wiser."

The boy had heard enough. Now he had new information on Snow that could- and undoubtedly would- be used against her. He had to do something about that, even if she did hate him now. Because she had moved to this city to begin a new life, he presumed, and he wouldn't let getting enraptured in Shugo Chara business take that chance away from her when she clearly deserved it. No, Snow Hisayuki was too good to get involved, and far better off absolutely loathing him than trying to understand him.

"I don't think you're a bad person either, you know," she had said to him with a light and honest expression on her gentle, effeminate face. He closed his eyes and, for just one moment, imagined the way things could be if they were different. Imagined what he would do to her, imagined her accepting it with that lilting, goofy laugh of hers…

Then he clued back into reality and began to stride out of the executive director's office, his footfalls making soft, plush sounds against the black carpet.  
"Ikuto?" The executive director asked, standing from his leather swivel chair in surprise and frustration. "How long have you been standing there? And just where do you think you're going?"

Instead of responding, Ikuto Tsukiyomi simply flipped off his stepfather before lithely striding out of the room- and, hopefully, out of Snow's life. If he could find the strength within himself to do so.

* * *

 

"Hey," Kukai-kun whispered to Yaya-san the day after the concert, a worried look drawing down his usually pointed and haughty face, "doesn't Hisayuki look like she just went through the washing machine?"

I chose not to comment and continued to stare miserably out of the Royal Garden with my chin in the palm of my hand. Satsuki, my newest Shugo Chara, was mingling well with the others, especially Temari, which was about the only highlight of my day. Last night was sleepless and agonizing for me, since all that ran through my mind was the X-Eggs shattering into thousands of hopeless little bits. And the look on Ikuto's face as he did so.

As usual, his expression clearly had a lot of work put into it to appear blank and uncaring. His mouth was relaxed and uncaring- not that I was staring at it the whole time-, his eyebrows drawn and resigned, his posture completely at ease. But his eyes looked as though they were completely suffering, and the scene of the breaking was replaying, over and over again, until he finally exited the scene to repent for his sins. It was as heartbreaking as the action itself. But I didn't care anymore. I couldn't. Because he was evil, just like the rest of the Easter Corporation.

And I would fight them.

"COMB YOUR HAIR!" Lilith screamed at me, as she and Vivian actually cooperated for once in chucking an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at my face. I hated oatmeal with a passion forged from Hell's flames, but caught it in my mouth anyway and crushed it with a deadly crunch! and a wild look in my eyes.  
"But, really, it needs to be fixed," Vivian added with a morose grin as Lilith trembled behind her.

The rest of the Guardians were obviously struggling to hold in their laughter from the way their shoulders shook and faces turned red. Nadeshiko-san stood gracefully, wiping the grin off her face with a genuinely helpful smile. "Here, let me," she said, rummaging in her schoolbag momentarily and emerging with a comb that looked to be crafted out of the finest of pearls and crystal.

Oh God, I thought in pure horror when she began approaching me with it. Please don't let that thing touch my rat's nest of hair and break it I'll die- My thoughts were proven to be in vain when she gently took a chunk of it in her hand and began combing it out, being careful not to tug too painfully- not that it'd affect me in any way, regardless.

"Th-thank you," I said nervously, folding my hands in my lap and staring at them as she worked her magic. I had woken up late that morning and hadn't bothered to pull myself together, and did in fact look like I had taken a tango with a washing machine- without any of the cleanly effects.  
"So," Kukai-kun began, settling further into his chair and folding his arms behind his head. "Did you see anything worth noting last night, Hisayuki? You know, besides the stage equipment crashing and all."

Which may have actually been my fault. I chased those thoughts and the spot of pitch black that came with them away with a vigorous shake of my head. "I went after the X-Eggs," I began slowly, grinding my teeth as I spoke, "out the back door of the stage. They were attacking me, and I didn't have any time to Character Transform." Nadeshiko-san stopped her very effective brushing to give me space to strip off my black school uniform blazer and be left in the white blouse, and I rolled up my sleeve to show them my purpling shoulder. Yaya-san, Nadeshiko-san, and Kukai-kun all sucked in gasps, not expecting an X-Egg to harm someone that much, and Tadase-kun bit his lip and looked purely apologetic. "It doesn't hurt too much; just stings a bit. Anyway, when I was about to get beamed in the head, Ikuto… Tsukiyomi swooped in and…" I bit my lip. "Saved me."

Tadase-kun tensed so much that even his gentle eyes went steely. "What do you mean by 'saved'?"

"I mean that he, uh, picked me up and carried me out of the way." When they all began staring me down, I blushed and pressed my lips together. "Anyway, after he did that, he went and broke all three eggs."

Now Tadase-kun was actually standing, and his cheeks were a bright shade of red, like a police siren. Kukai-kun elbowed him in the leg with a warning expression, and he sat back down in complete silence. The Royal Garden was about as loud as a graveyard thereafter, the only real sound that of running water and Nadeshiko-san raking the comb through my long hair. She set it delicately on the table and began braiding it the way I liked, two on the side that connected at the back. Yaya-san was clearly uncomfortable with the current atmosphere, judging from her incessant tapping on the table with a sour expression. She couldn't take it anymore, evidently, and stood up while yelling like a maniac. "OKAAAAAAY. So basically this just tells us what we already knew. Easter are the bad guys, and the kitty-man is just one of them. So what? It's not like our goal has changed."

As everyone murmured in agreement and Nadeshiko-san resumed sitting down, I bowed my head and hid the grimace that flashed across my features. I didn't understand why I felt so betrayed. I already knew what Easter was capable of doing. And yet… I still thought that they might've had a spot of good in them.  
That Ikuto wasn't all evil.

But I couldn't let the Guardians know that. I already felt like an outsider as it was. I didn't want to give them any more reason to think that I really was a freak and couldn't help them anymore. So I sucked in a big gulp of air and let a huge grin dominate my face. "Yaya-san's right. If anything, we just have more reason to fight them now. I'm sure that if we just continue doing what we're doing, we'll be able to find out a thing or two along the way."

The angered flush drained from Tadase-kun's cheeks and was replaced with his easy, warm smile. Though his eyes were another story; there was a certain depth to them right then, almost like if you looked closely enough, you could see right into his soul and read his feelings- which were undoubtedly those of despair. "That's true. Thanks you two. You really know how to handle a situation."

Yaya-san got this haughty smile on her face and started giggling like a fool. "Snowcchi was just copying me, is all."

I rolled my eyes. "Right. Well, I should be getting to class now, considering that I actually care about my record." My challenging stare was directed at Kukai-kun, who nonchalantly kicked his feet up on the table and started whistling. Nadeshiko-san knocked them down and scowled at his innocent expression. "I'll see you guys later."

Sweeping my messenger bag up from where I ditched it on the floor next to my chair, I stood from my seat and tossed it over my shoulder. Just before I left the gazebo altogether, I hesitated, then laid a hand on Tadase-kun's shoulder. Despite what I had expected, it was still very large, firm, and warm beneath my hand, giving further evidence that he really was a guy (which I knew already, but hadn't really been entirely conscious of). He seemed surprised from the way he jerked under my touch, and looked up at me as the other Guardians idly chatted away about planning and what to do with the new information that had been presented.

I smiled at him, though my eyebrows were drawn down in something like regret. "We'll figure this all out," I told him, "and then it'll all be over before you know it."

His returning smile made mine look more like a grimace. "Thank you, Hisayuki-san. I'm… really glad you became a Guardian."

It took almost all of my willpower not to skip away from the Garden with that praise. When I reached the tall glass doors, I turned and called to Nadeshiko-san: "Thanks for helping with my hair!"

"Anytime!" She called back, waving enthusiastically.

And again, my chest was overflowing with a feeling of fulfillment, like I had found what I'd been searching for all my life. So this is what having friends meant. They- we- depended on each other, and helped each other. It seemed like such a wonderful relationship to have, and I knew I had to treasure it like nothing else.

On my walk back to the main building, I noticed all of my Shugo Chara were collectively giving me a knowing, sly smirk. "What?" I demanded, a blush running across my cheeks. "What do you want now?"

"You're so cute," Satsuki giggled, pressing her hand against her mouth in a very graceful fashion.

Though to me it was just irritating, and the flush just spread. "Whatever," I mumbled, causing Lilith and Vivian to start snickering behind my back, which turned to full-blown laughter once I whirled around and started cursing at them.

There was a reason- precisely two reasons- why I continued my banter with my Shugo Chara in my home economics class. I wasn't overly concerned about people believing that I was talking to myself in the kitchen, though it was about completely nonsensical things, like what we were going to have for dinner. In fact, I figured it would've been an insult if I didn't continue, and that was because of the presence of Deryn Sivas and William Strathmore- or as they told me to call them, just Deryn and Will. They were the only people in this school, as far as I knew, that could actually see and hear Shugo Chara despite not having any themselves. No one knew why, exactly, though it was simply suspected that both of their sixth senses were particularly in tune with the world around them. And so the worked together with the Guardians sometimes, being their eyes and ears when they themselves had others business to attend to. They were both very… eccentric, to say the least, but the second they noticed Lilith casually lounging on my shoulder the day after she hatched, they began talking to me and letting me into their two-person circle.

Once they noticed I had entered the room, Deryn looked at me and experienced a mouth-twitch, AKA what she considered a smile. Meanwhile, her male partner stood from his seat at one of the circular tables and began waving at me cheerfully with a model-like smile on his face. The pair of them were what some people considered to be more than human- and that was simply because of the way they looked. Deryn was excessively tall and thin, like some kind of supermodel, with long, wavy golden hair that cascaded into curls around her waist (which gave her the nickname Rapunzel from Will). Her face was always expressionless, making it completely smooth and untouched, and also giving it a sort of unearthly beauty. One would think that her eyes would betray any emotion she felt, and they did- but only when Will was around. Those two aquamarine orbs otherwise remained completely neutral. She was sort of like Ikuto in that way, except maybe on a much more extreme scale. Nonetheless, she was very considerate in her own way, even if she didn't like to express it often. Her full mouth was usually closed, but whenever she opened it, words of a harsh and surprising variety usually emerged, even when she was actually trying to be kind. She was just like that, I guessed, but I was completely charmed by her anyway, and considered her to be not just an acquaintance, but more like a friend.

Will, on the other hand, was like her polar opposite. While he was just an inch or two taller than his girl, he remained lanky with some definition about him, like his high cheekbones or sharp jaw. It was usually hard to see his eyes beneath his hair, which fell about to his shoulders and across his brow, and was the colour of melted onyx. However, when you did manage to see his eyes, you could see that they were always bright, kind, and very humble, and a light brown that bordered on a chocolate popsicle with bright blue flecks. I probably would've found him incredibly attractive if one, he wasn't obviously head-over-heels for his quiet partner, and two, if he wasn't a completely ridiculous goof that had a bad habit of dropping things out of nowhere and tripping over his own two feet.

  
How those two came together was a complete mystery to me, but I supposed it didn't matter. Despite being a very young age, it was plain to see that the feelings shared between those two were very strong, and very real. You could tell simply by observing them. The glances they shared, the way the almost hovered around each other in a permanent orbit, how one was never seen without the other- exempt from the occasional bathroom break- and how Will wouldn't be as silly when in Deryn's presence, and always had a warm and endearing smile when looking at her, with a certain heat in his eyes that always made me feel like I was… intruding. Hell, the very fact that Deryn smiled around him at all should've been proof enough that what they had was one of those rare relationships you knew they would be bound to forever. Plus their conversations mostly consisted of nothing but fluff. I told myself I wasn't jealous of their connection, and even I could tell what a horrible liar I was.

"I hear we're making stew today," Will began as I took a seat beside Deryn, who merely nodded her head in my direction. "In honour of the weather getting cooler. Doesn't that sound great? I'm so excited- we should make lots so we have leftovers for home, Ryn."

Not to mention they were cohabitating. Deryn simply shrugged her small, pointy shoulders. "I don't care. It's not as if making dinner is that hard."

Will got a laugh out of me when he got this "seductive" look on his face and batted his eyelashes. "Wanna know what is hard?"

"Fuck off, Will."

"I love you, honey."

Deryn scowled at him, but a slight smile spread across her face, which was her way of saying "I love you, too". They bickered back and forth like that constantly, like they really were married instead of just living together. Whenever they did, Deryn always seemed strangely happy about it, and when I asked why, she got a sincerity in her eyes that made them gleam like the ocean. "It may sound silly," she had said in her quiet, velvety voice that sounded like it was made for song, "but sometimes, the time I spend here with you, and with William, feels like a dream to me. I have never felt so… accepted, and liked in all my life. I get scared to think that one day I'll just wake up and I'll lose him. But when we banter like that, well… it's almost like affirming his existence, the way he gets me riled up sometimes. It proves that he- and my feelings- are real."

She had said it with the most thoughtful and sad expression on her face that it was plain to see that she, too, had some difficulties in her past that she didn't care to talk about. So much so that they only good thing in her life felt like it could break at any moment if she wasn't careful. I was only slightly older than her, but a strange, motherly-like instinct welled up inside of my chest whenever I thought about what a strange, sweet girl like her must've gone through to feel like that. But I never asked. I knew all too well that it was an uncomfortable thing to talk about your past.

The sound of the door to the school kitchen opening dragged me away from my focus, and I looked towards the sound to find Mr. Nikaidou striding on in with the same milk bottle glasses and ridiculous grin. He began chatting it up with our teacher, evidently about something funny when they both began to crack up. Seeing him made me bristle defensively. He was sitting right beside me last night and had witnessed the whole "frost" thing going on with my hands, even when I didn't know exactly what had happened. But I didn't know how to act around him after that. Do we pretend nothing even happened and just go back to being regular old teacher and student? Or will he begin to question me and what had happened?

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had a slight issue with his presence. As Will was merrily reading recipes for different kinds of stew to make, his girlfriend was looking at Mr. Nikaidou the way a wolf looked at a sleeping rabbit.

"There's something strange about him," she muttered under her breath, so low Will couldn't hear. But I could.

I leaned in closer to her, my expression guarded and careful. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice lowered to the pitch of a shallow breath.

"It may sound odd to you," she began, trying not to look directly at him. A lot of things that came out of Deryn's mouth would sound odd to me, apparently. "But it's like I'm looking at a chameleon. He's matching himself with his surroundings to keep something concealed. There's something underneath the surface he's showing us." She leaned back in her chair, her long bangs falling across an eye. "The question is what."

"How do you know all of this?"

For a moment, she looked as if she was about to tell me about the secret she and Will carried. It was obvious that their ability to see Shugo Chara was more than just a strong sixth sense. There was something off about Will and Deryn, about the way they were, the way they were so in tune with their surroundings. It was almost like they had stronger senses in general, like me. But she clamped her mouth shut and turned to look out the window at the sky that was dying down to the colour of the dark countertops in the kitchen.

"It's just a feeling," she said with a shrug, even though we both knew it was more than that.

Our home-ec teacher, Mrs. Kelling, stood at the front of the room with a strangely grave expression on her face, considering how animated she had been when talking with Mr. Nikaidou, who was now standing at the front of the room beside her with an out-of-character sober smile. "Class," she began, making rounds around the tables filled with students who lowered their chattering voices to hear her. "Mr. Nikaidou, the supply science teacher, has just informed me that there was another attack last night in the city. It's believed to be made by animals again. I'm not telling this to scare you; I just want you kids to be careful on your way home after school. If you see or hear anything the slightest bit suspicious, don't act brave and try to confront it; just go home."

What was with this city? First I come here and learn that little supernatural creatures can be born from eggs as your would-be selves, and now there's strange attacks going on everywhere? Not to mention that I had some weird mojo going on with my hands, the way the veins shift into the patterns of frost you see on windows in winter, and the very fact that they froze over just last night. Ever since I came here, everything about my entire life had begun to change, in ways I never thought possible. I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing yet.

As Mrs. Kelling spoke at the front of the room in her clear, high-pitched voice, Deryn got this look on her face that almost seemed a bit remorseful. Will turned his attention back to her, scooted closer, and began to stroke his hand up and down her back in a soothing way, murmuring some things to her that I strained not to hear, for they felt private. His expression was grim yet comforting, like he was telling her a truth that couldn't be avoided. She was nodding, but still looked far away from him. Despite trying to ignore them, I caught him say, "You can't help it", to which Deryn pressed her lips together and nodded again.  
It was so rare to see the both of them grave that I knew I had to distract them. As soon as Mrs. Kelling stopped speaking and went to check each group's recipe and progress, I picked up the sheet of stews before us and began talking as cheerfully as I could manage. "I don't really like peppers or anything like that, but if you guys do, we could make stuffed pepper stew."

Will smiled up at me with that charming grin of his and said, "Ryn doesn't really either. How about we just make beef stew?"

Deryn nodded again. "I like meat."

"Beef stew it is." I pulled a red pen out of my pencil case and circled our option, then began recording ingredients on a separate sheet of paper. Will set off to tell Mrs. Kelling of our choice, and when he left, Deryn looked at me, with a grateful smile on her face.

"Thank you, Snow."

Despite my best efforts not to, I flushed. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"You shouldn't be so modest," Satsuki piped in suddenly, again reminding me that I was never alone anymore. She floated before Deryn and I with a gentle smile and said, "You're better at distractions and comfort than you know."

"This is the third egg?" Deryn questioned, cocking her head to one side, expressionless yet again.

I heaved a sigh. "Yep. She hatched just last night."

"And what wish is she born from?"

I tapped the pen against my chin, and realized that I had no idea. "Uhh…"

"'I wish to be strong'," Satsuki quoted, and she got this adoring expression on her face as she threw herself at my face and snuggled it like a kitten. I was thrown for a loop. Lilith and Vivian had never been this affectionate. Satsuki was so completely different from them, graceful, kind, and helpful. As I thought that, I noticed that the other two were glaring daggers at me like they could hear my thoughts. I grinned sheepishly at them.

"Good choice," Deryn responded, her expression turning to one of fondness.

Will returned from his little errand, said we were good to go, and swept Deryn out of her seat by grasping her hand and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. All of my Shugo Chara blushed and "awwwed" at the PDA, while I just looked away, embarrassed to even watch. Will grinned against his girlfriend's forehead at me and mumbled, "Even though you're older than us, you have no romantic experience, huh."

"Shut up," I muttered defensively as my expression contorted into something awful and embarrassed, like an old lady scrunching her nose up at some hooligans messing in her yard. "Let's get to work."

Each of us tied on a school-issue apron with the logo of a crescent moon and star on it, then began washing, chopping, and seasoning ingredients. With three pairs of hands, and my Shugo Chara actually attempting to be helpful for once by seasoning and stirring when no one was looking, our stew was simmering on the stove with twenty minutes left in the period. Mr. Nikaidou was still hanging out in the classroom, tasting each group's dishes, and eventually made it over to us. Will greeted him cheerfully and politely, the same nice guy as always, while I gave him a strained smile and Deryn all-out glared, her eyes melting to the cover of midnight waters.

He used a spoon and tried out our dish, chewing thoughtfully and making tasting noises with his mouth. Then he swallowed and got a pensive look on his face. "Not bad," he said carefully. He got a twisted smile on his face and stared right into my eyes, making them widen in something like fear and distrust. "But I think it's still far too cold. Almost like ice."

What was happening? Was he testing me? I didn't even understand what had happened, let alone what he was trying to do, so I was left with a loss for words. Luckily, Deryn swopped in to the rescue, stepping in front of me despite being an inch or so shorter. "Well, I guess that just means it needs to cook longer. Thanks for the advice."

Mr. Nikaidou smiled brightly at her. "No problem. I look forward to when it finally melts." Then he strode away, humming as he walked along.

Although I didn't know why I felt tempted to, I leaned closer to Deryn, my expression that of a tortured puppy, and whispered, "Thank you."

"Any time," she responded. She didn't look at me as she said it, but I caught a strange expression on her face. It was defensive and suspicious, like she knew something I didn't and was somehow protecting me. I didn't understand in the slightest. But my Shugo Chara, on the other hand, exchanged one of their secret, impressive three-way glances, each of their expressions wary and careful. These people were stepping on eggshells around me, and apparently didn't feel inclined to tell me why. But I knew something was going on underneath all of their facades. And I couldn't tell if I wanted to know what it was.

* * *

 

"We're going."

Startled, I looked up from reading some Guardian paperwork about the upcoming sports festival and what else needed to be done, to see Yaya-san standing right beside my chair, and all of the other Guardians giving me a concerned look.

"Uh, pardon?" I asked her, directing my eyes to hers, which looked like they were jumping with excitement, a roaring fire dancing in the dark night of the atmosphere.

"You've been depressed and moody all day, and now it's getting everyone on edge. Not that it's very unusual, but today it's a bit extreme."

"Hey," I snapped defensively. "I'm not always depressed and moody."

"Oh please." She rolled her copper eyes exaggeratedly. "Don't flatter yourself. We're gonna go do something fun to get you out of this funk. Whether you like it or not."

My jaw dropped at her bluntness, and I groped for a response that wouldn't upset her. "Um, but we still have all this work to do." I fanned the papers at her, lists of things we needed to buy before next Friday. "We can't just abandon all of our duties."

She snorted, a bemused expression on her face. "Duties." She snickered. "They can handle it. Right, guys?"

Kukai-kun opened his mouth, obviously about to object, but Tadase-kun threw a hand over his mouth and smiled warmly. "Of course. It's not good to be so upset, Hisayuki-san. I want to make sure that you're happy as much as possible. Go out and have fun."

The very kindness overflowing from his words made my entire face go red. But I didn't really want to go. I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts and try to sort out the impossible jigsaw puzzle in my head of information, and then talk to my Shugo Chara about what they were hiding from me. But Yaya-san smacked the papers out of my hand, earning a strained protest, and yanked me from my seat, which was quite the feat since we were about a foot apart.

"You have a great smile," Nadeshiko-san said, grinning at me herself. "We want to do whatever we can to get it back, so don't worry about Easter or anything for now." She took me by surprise when she gave Kukai-kun a look that would terrify a serial killer and said menacingly, "Right, Souma-kun?"

The fiery redhead gulped. "Uh, sure. Whatever."

Well that was surprising. I had no idea Nadeshiko-san could be threatening like that. Before I could comment on it, or object even further, Yaya-san threw the strap of my bag over my head and tore out of the Royal Garden, dragging me behind her whilst screaming.

"Yaya-san," I called as she pulled me mercilessly through the courtyard of the school. "I really don't think this is-"

"This," she cut me off, coming to a sudden halt and making me crash into her small back. She clearly was about to topple over, but caught herself before she did, turned around, and put her hands on her hips sternly. "Is what friends are for. We help each other out. We comfort each other when we're sad. If you don't come with me to have a blast, I'm going to assume you hate me."

When I didn't respond, her strong countenance fell so much that I swore her face was melting. "Do you hate me?"

"Of course she doesn't," Lilith sang suddenly, popping out from the cover of my hair. "You know Snow. She's just embarrassed to be hanging out with a friend." I pressed my lips together and flicked her away, and her scream resembled that of an ant's.

Yaya-san made an amused sound and looked at me in a way that said she thought I was adorable. "Well, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Now let's go have some fun."

With a roll of my eyes and a big sigh, I decided to just go along with her. Yaya-san had the trait of dragging people into her own pace, no matter how much they resisted. Besides, maybe it would be good if I had some fun. It'd take my mind off of things that I'd rather not think about.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked her, finally not being tugged along and instead walking at her side. I imagined we looked much like a comedy duo with our height difference, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Starbucks, of course," she said with a shiver, her high voice taking on an excited edge. "It's freezing out here, and I need hot chocolate with lots and lots of whipped cream, or I'm gonna die." I should've figured she liked things really sweet like that. "Speaking of which, aren't you cold? You're really only wearing a scarf."

I supposed I did look strange next to her, since she was bulked up in an orange scarf, white pea coat, and orange mittens, but what could I do? I'd overheat like that. So I just shrugged and said, "I'm really sensitive to the heat. So I don't mind being, er, chilly." It was hard to say the word 'chilly' since I had never once experienced what it meant. And if I just said I couldn't feel the cold at all, that would've sounded slightly strange.

Yaya-san laughed at my condition instead of just thinking it was weird. "Suit yourself, but just make sure not to get a cold." She got a strangely suggestive look on her face, and she flushed even without a cold wind in her face. "I'm sure that'd make Tadacchi sad."

My expression turned wary as my Shugo Chara began giggling on my shoulder. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," she sang, skipping slightly ahead of me. "If you don't understand, then it's fine."

I wanted to pursue the subject further, suspicious of what she was getting at, but then I decided against it. Since this was Yaya-san I was dealing with, I'd probably regret getting any more details than that.

It might've sounded strange (and I realized that Deryn's manner of speaking was rubbing off on me), but with someone so cheerful and bright and honestly wanting to be my friend at my side, the world around me seemed brighter when it was normally so bleak. School had just ended, so the sky had yet to take the passionate hues of the sunset, and was instead a clear blue that was like a single, strong stroke of aero paint. The day had been so gloomy and dark earlier, the overcast clouds making it appear as though there was only void instead of sky, but it appeared pathetic fallacy was coming into play by personifying my mood. Leaves that were about the size of the Shugo Chara were fluttering in the breeze in front of us, little helicopters the shades of flames doing a natural dance. For the first time in years, I felt like skipping. I was already forgetting all the worries that plagued me just moments ago, and I actually giggled a little when a breeze tangled through my hair and made the three girls hang on for dear life.

Yaya-san was smiling back at me with her bright teeth showing, as cheerful as a child that had yet to experience any sort of corruption. "You must really like it outside."

"I guess so," I said as I gathered Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki, and tucked them in the front of my scarf so they didn't blow away. "I've never really liked being cramped indoors."

"Same here." She did a small twirl in front of me, her small, buoyant pigtails bouncing back and forth happily. "My parents used to always take me for walks, and they did that thing where they grab your hands and swing you back and forth."

My smile was honest and not at all strained when I said, "That sounds like fun." In my years before everything in my life began to crumble, Dad would always swoop me onto his shoulders like a normal little girl so I could pluck a bright red leaf off of a taller tree. I suddenly found myself wondering what he'd think if he saw me today. Would he get that smile on his face he always had when he saw me, as if all his worries had been washed away and that there was nothing else in the world that mattered? A small swelling began pounding in my chest, and for the first time in years, I found myself actually missing him.

Gabriel Hisayuki had always been such a happy-go-lucky guy, and had no qualms whatsoever with spoiling Mom and I. Which made the fact that he suddenly up and left make even less sense. He would always play with me, even when it was obvious he was busy with other things, and we'd sit on the warm grass in summertime eating raspberry creamsicles until our tongues were bright red, then we'd stick them out at each other. He was always, always smiling. The only time I saw him make any other expression was when he was concentrating hard on cutting his own hair, which had to occur about once every two weeks. It had an astonishing growth rate not just for a man, but for anyone. In a matter of days it would grow from just being smooth white bangs falling in his eyes and to the back of his neck to needing to be pulled into a ponytail that fell to his waist. Yet another trait of his I inherited, which is why I gave up cutting my hair long ago. Whenever I was with him, I was never sad or unhappy, or even pouty. He was the best father in the entire world. And he was so loved by all that my own mother cut me when he disappeared.

"You're getting that grumpy look on your face again," Yaya-san accused when I had apparently zoned out again. "You're supposed to smile like me. See?" A ridiculously large grin spread on her face, puffs of steam blowing from her mouth.

I mimicked her so much that it felt like my mouth was splitting, and she laughed again while practically dancing in front of me. I began giggling along, and was surprised when my Shugo Chara were strangely silent in such a hyper setting. When I glanced down at them all huddled in my scarf, each of them had a thoughtful and grave expression, their minds elsewhere.

We had finally arrived at Starbucks, and I had never seen a human being run into an establishment as quickly as Yaya-san had. I followed slowly behind, taking the time to appreciate the civilians sitting in the tables around us, either with laptops or tablets, or simply sitting with friends and chatting without a care in the world. When I had joined my friend at the counter, she was demanding so much whipped cream that the cashier looked extremely flustered. I asked her for a cotton candy frappuccino and apologized on Yaya-san's behalf, and used my hand to keep pushing her away when she kept running back up to the counter yelling, "IT'S NOT ENOUGH!"

Eventually we managed to get our drinks without further incident, but Yaya-san was frowning deeply at hers. "The hot chocolate to whipped cream ratio displeases me," she grumbled, to which I simply rolled my eyes. She was like a little kid. Though, considering that her Shugo Chara had the appearance of a baby, I supposed that was the point.

I stuck the straw to my drink in my mouth and took a large sip. It tasted sweet, and just like raspberry creamsicle. It was delicious, of course, but the rush of nostalgia that came with it earned a feeling of melancholy.

"Can I try yours?" Yaya-san pleaded, looking up at me with big, warm eyes. I hesitated, thinking that she did look like such a cute little thing, then sighed and handed it to her. She eagerly slurped up as much as possible, and I didn't call her out on it since it was what I expected. When she handed it back, her eyes seemed impossibly wider and her smile was slightly twitchy. "It's. So. Good."

"I'm glad, I guess," I giggled, amazed at her expression. She offered me some of hers, but I flatly declined. I liked sweet things, but not that much.

A buzzing noise began to flow through the air, and I looked down on her. Her coat pocket was moving. "You're vibrating," I pointed out, and she started to laugh, seemingly catching an innuendo I did not.

She looked at the screen of her mobile, then nearly dropped her hot chocolate. With all the trouble she went to getting it just the way she wanted, whatever she saw must've been quite serious. She began making worried grunts and whimpers, floundering around on the sidewalk, which earned concerned looks from onlookers.

"Is, uh, everything okay?" I asked her, worry plaguing my expression.

She glanced at me hurriedly. Then back at her phone. Then back to me. The pattern kept occurring so often I began to think she was having a seizure, but then she groaned so loudly it came out as more of a scream, making me nearly trip over my own feet. "I've got no other option!" She hissed as she grabbed my hand yet again and began zooming away. I barely even reacted this time, nonchalantly sipping my drink and keeping pace while Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki were nearly flying out of my scarf.

We were running so fast that I crashed into her back yet again when she came to an abrupt halt, but managed to preserve my drink by holding it high in the air like I had just won a trophy. Yaya-san was staring at the building in front of us with a very pouty and grumpy expression, a child being told she had to go to a relative's house when all she wanted was to stay out and play. The place looked nondescript enough to me, only about two stories high and made out of a material that faintly resembled a dark glass. There were quite a few cars in the wide parking lot, and some middle-aged women mingling right in front of the double-door entrance.

"What is this place?" I asked lightly, but I was desperately trying to keep my cool. Why the hell had she suddenly changed directions and brought me here? She seemed awfully winded, too, with the large puffs of white shooting out from her mouth. Not to mention that I had no idea where we even were, and it'd be next to impossible trying to figure out my way to work from here.

"We're… at…" She took a large gulp of air and let it out slowly, and was finally able to stop panting. She stood up straight again after being keeled over for a bit and smiled sheepishly at me. "We're at my dance studio. I forgot that we had a huge recital on Friday, and there was a practice today. You can watch, if you'd like." She was staring up at me with those big, hopeful eyes, and I froze in place. There was my dilemma of dyrexia and being unable to go anywhere from here, but she looked like she really wanted me to stay and watch with her. Besides, the whole point of leaving our Guardian duties was to hang out and have fun. I had never done this after school with anyone before, and I didn't really want to waste the opportunity. It could've been fun to watch, anyway.

So I smiled warmly at her, and the gesture made the two pessimists of my Shugo Chara snort. "Sure. Only until I have to go to work, though."

Yaya-san's grin was huge and almost seemed to sparkle, and she nodded so enthusiastically it looked like her pigtails were wings trying to fly away. "Of course!"

She pulled me inside the double doors, which swished automatically upon our entrance, and led me up a tall staircase made of polished wood that our shoes squeaked on with each step. They climbed into a large, open hallway, with countless doors on either wall, and Yaya-san had to count which one she wanted to enter before stepping inside. She held the door open for me with a smile, and I thanked her before turning to look at the room in awe. It was made of the same shining wood, with mirrors dominating the tall wall to my right, and the wall right ahead of me was purely made of floor-to-ceiling windows. Dancers in pastel and black coloured leotards were stretching all over the floor, or practicing moves against a bar, idling chatting as they did so.

Yaya-san closed the door behind us. "I need to go change quickly. Just take a seat over there, okay?" She pointed to a corner with four fold-out chairs set up, and I nodded with a smile. I maneuvered to keep out of the dancer's way whilst simultaneously watching them. From the way they were kicking their legs and spinning, it looked like the type of dance was ballet. This came as a surprise to me, since Yaya-san definitely didn't seem like the type of girl to get into a graceful dance style like ballet. But what could I say? I didn't really know any of the Guardians too well.

I took a chair out from the corner where they were clustered and set it up at the back of the room. The things were always awkward for me to sit in, since they were so short and cramped. But after resituating myself a few times, I managed, and had to stretch my legs out on the floor in front of me. While I waited, I figured I'd pull out some homework and get started, since I usually did it in the half hour I had at home before I walked to work.

As I rummaged in my bag that I set on the floor, Vivian was observing the ballerinas with an appraising look on her face while Satsuki and Lilith tried to imitate them (the latter not succeeding). "Very nice," she murmured to herself, making a face when a girl did the splits. "But not really my speed."

"Oh yeah?" I muttered sarcastically, trying to answer novel questions on Lord of the Flies. "What is your speed, then?"

"That's right," she began, a slight edge entering her voice as she turned to glare at me. I raised my eyebrows. "You've only Character Transformed with Lilith, so how would you know?"

I blinked. "Uh, what are you talking about? I haven't done much of that since you were born."

"And what does that say about you?"

"Well, there hasn't been any X-Eggs." Except for the concert, but the whole point of being out with Yaya-san was to push that out of my mind. "But tell me, what's your Character Transformation like?"

"How would I know?" Her voice was getting louder and louder despite the high, squeaky octave, and I looked around surreptitiously to see if anyone heard her, then realized that was stupid. "We haven't done it yet! All I know is that my powers border on 'being heard'. You want to be heard, to not have a feeling of helplessness all the time. So whatever that tells you!"

Lilith took this opportunity to make everyone else feel like crap. "Oh, Viv, let me tell you, it's so fun," she teased, a smirk spreading on her face. "It makes you feel like you can do anything. It's so great to have the feeling of being in a large body. I could step on you any time I want to. But I won't. Because I'm like your god, and gods don't do that unless they're angry."

A pint-sized fist fight broke out on the floor after Vivian threw her rabbit aside and lunged at Lilith, and Satsuki tried to break it apart to no avail. Yaya-san and Pepe came out of the change room just then, and the latter flew in to help try and calm the situation. Satsuki caught Lilith while Pepe got Vivian, and all four of them were sweating and panting like they were in a summer wrestling match.

Dressed in a purple leotard, Yaya-san bounced over to me with an excited expression. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened here?"

I just shook my head. "You don't want to know."

"Snow! You have to watch me!"

"I'm watching."

"No, look at me NOW!" I lifted my eyes from my homework, and they nearly popped out of my head. She was doing the splits with her arms touching her toes and her head resting between her legs. It was impressive but gross at the same time, like watching the Cirque du Solei contortionists.

"Wow, um, that's cool," I said with a nod, trying to keep my mouth as shut as possible so I didn't lose my jaw.

She giggled. "Isn't it? I'm so flexible." Her eyes widened as she gasped and sat up straight again. "I should join the CIRCUS! It's like I totally belong there." She really did.

Just then, as we were simply sitting there and laughing at the idea of Yaya-san in a circus, a girl strode out from the changing room in nearly the same leotard as Yaya-san. Her face was pointed and severe, almost foreign, and her smooth black hair was scraped into a high ponytail with a slight curl at the end. She came to a stop right beside my chair and glared down at us. I looked up at her with a curious expression while Yaya-san smiled and waved, though it seemed slightly forced. "Hiya, Mai-chan."

'Mai-chan' inclined her head in her direction in acknowledgment, but her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me, but you're being very loud, and disrupting the practice. I'm going to have to ask you to be a lot quieter."

While my mouth dropped open at her directness, Yaya-san merely smiled and said, "Of course! Sorry for bothering you." Satisfied, the girl nodded her head sternly and flouced away, her walk so graceful that she already seemed to be dancing. I scowled at her retreating form as she went to the bar and began stretching.

"Well, isn't she just a bucket of sunshine," I muttered while I grumpily sat back in my chair. All three of my girls nodded in agreement, but Yaya-san only shrugged.

"That's the way she always is," she said dismissively as she stood to stretch her arms out. "Mai-chan is the prima ballerina around here. Her mother was a famous ballerina, so she strives to be like her in every way. Even if that does mean she has to be standoffish along the way."

I snorted, but kind of understood where she was coming from. All my childhood, I aspired to be the kind of person my father was, kind, caring, selfless, cheerful. At least she was dedicated, completely unlike myself who turned out to be a brat trapped in an adult's body. She had a dream to hold on to, and as much as I disliked to, I had to admire her for that.

Even more so when she actually began to practice dancing. I found myself right on the edge of my seat as she completed set upon set of complicated jumps, twirls, and folds, her feet flying across the floor completely weightlessly. It seemed so effortless when she danced, so graceful and elegant. She was completely mature and adult-like with her expressions, and all the other ballerinas took the time to watch her, as well. She barely seemed to mind. Mai-chan was completely lost in her cascading world of dance that was always moving, meaning that the people around her were as good as nonexistent.

When she completed the routine, I couldn't resist the urge to clap for her with everyone else in the room. Yaya-san seemed the most excited of all, judging from the way she jumped up and down like a caffeinated rabbit. She glided back over to us, for she had set a bottle of water on the floor near my chair, and I walked to her side along with Yaya-san, both of us grinning ear-to-ear.

"I had my doubts, but you're amazingly talented!" I said with a smile. "I've never seen anything like that before! You definitely deserve to be the prima ballerina."

For a moment, Mai-chan looked like she was blushing in surprise as she looked at me. But then she dropped her water and put her hands on her hips while glaring viciously up at me. "I know how good I am. I don't need some freaking stranger amazon to tell me that."

The word 'amazon' echoed in my head for almost a minute straight as the studio filled with awkward silence. I was taller than every girl here, and Mai-chan looked like she was only about five foot six. But then my patience broke with an audible snap! and Yaya-san grabbed me by my underarms as I thrashed about and tried to claw at the escaping felon.

"Let me kill 'er!" I screeched, my dialect coming out along with the angry vein throbbing rapidly on my neck. "I'll show 'er amazon! She's got no idea what she's dealing with!"

"Snow! Snow! Calm down!" Yaya-san pleaded, having a great struggle trying to restrain me. "Stop kicking! Your panties are showing! She didn't mean it, she's just a tsundere!"

"Like I care! That is tha last time I compliment a stranger!"

The room around us was filled with not only my shouts and Yaya-san's protest, but the poorly stifled giggles of the other dancers, and Mai-chan's feet thumping lightly on the floor as she practiced and pretended not to care. Two slaps in complete unison on my cheeks from both Lilith and Vivian eventually caused the angry flush to drain from my cheeks, and I began to finally breathe deeply. Being tall had never helped the whole "not fitting in" situation, so excuse me for being a bit tense whenever someone brought it up.

However, a new voice drifted through the room that was not there before, and its nasaly pitch sent a chill screaming down my spine. Yaya-san let go of my underarms in something like confusion when she noticed that I completely froze at the sound of it, and I had forgotten that her hearing was not as sensitive as mine, therefore she could not hear the same glass-shattering octave I did whenever the voice spoke. When I turned slowly to find who it belogned to, I found that a tall, broomstick-thin woman with a tight, pinched face with few wrinkles and wilting hair nipped and tucked into a bun had somehow snuck up behind me, and was staring at me like I was underneath a microscope. I yelped slightly and ducked behind Yaya-san with difficulty considering the height difference, fear and the sense of unusualness making my heart race, but she simply smiled brilliantly and said cheered, "Good afternoon, Mimiko-sensei. I hope you don't mind, but I brought a friend to watch us practice. This is Snow Hisayuki."

This Mimiko-sensei made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat that made me cringe, listening to the mundane version of nails on a chalkboard. She finally leaned back from her way too close proximity and looked like she was considering. "I suppose it's fine," she said loudly, but it sounded to me like she was aspiring to be a freaking opera singer, "so long as she doesn't distract anyone from practice."

Yaya-san promised that no, I wouldn't, even though I sort of already did, and Mimiko-sensei completely invaded my personal bubble again, and I became a carving of pure ice. "You have, hmmm, very long legs," she murmured, stressing the word 'long' as if she was gagging. "Have you ever considered ballet?"  
It took physical effort to move my mouth and form words. "Ah... no?"

Mimiko-sensei merely grunted in response, and the effort it took to force a polite smile on my face nearly brought tears to my eyes. She seemed like the type of woman who ate children for breakfast. All three of my Shugo Chara were having identical reactions to her, by which I meant that they were all hiding in my hair even if they couldn't be seen regardless. I wished I could run and hide. So much for catching a break.

When Mimiko-sensei suddenly clapped her hands together to grab that class's attention, I jolted out of my skin and nearly ducked for cover. "All right, my little fairies," she sang, which made me clench my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut. "Nothing to see here. Practice, practice, s'il vous plais. The performance is on Friday, and we can never be too ready!"

None of the dancers so much as grumbled as they all gathered in a lineup and began twirling through their routine with a grace that made me understand why their instructor called them 'fairies'. Mai-chan, as much as I hated to admit, was the attraction of the entire show, as it seemed that she was almost trapped in the character of the ballet they were performing. Her expressions carried true emotion, her steps precision and balance. I never let the awe I felt slip into my facial expression, and instead sat back in my fold-out chair wearing a pout and crossing my arms and legs.

They went through the routine once, and then twice. Just as they began to recite it a third time, and I was checking the clock on my cell phone with the thought of leaving for work, the last thing I thought would ever happen here happened. A small cracking sound rang in my ears, and I perked my head up while bolting out of my chair just in time to see Mai-chan's face seize up in pain, her ankle bending in a peculiar way. The cracking noise that could only reach my ears was her bone twisting oddly in her ankle once she bent slightly more to the right. A sound everyone did hear, however, was the hard thump of her body crashing against the floor when her ankle gave out. The music was cut off, and all the dancers- Yaya-san included, of course- flocked to her worriedly and hovered around her. Mimiko-sensei shoved through the lot of them whilst demanding room, and asked Yaya-san to help her carry the limping girl to the changing room. Yaya-san beckoned me over just as she slipped a small, skinny arm under Mai-chan's armpit and heaved her to the other room, and I was hot on her tail, my footsteps brisk but soundless. The oblivious Shugo Chara looked up at me from the chair as if just noticing that I had moved, and only realized I had left the room by the time the changing room door slammed behind us.

By the time I reached the two benches the girls were stationed at, Mai-chan's leggings had already been stripped off and thrown haphazardly on the floor, and Mimiko-sensei was inspecting her ankle with narrowed eyes (or at least I thought they looked narrowed, it was impossible to tell with her). I didn't think that much inspection was required; her ankle was clearly done for, with purple and black blotches already blooming across her pale skin like poisonous flowers contaminating a perfect garden. Yaya-san was biting her lip in distress, Mai-chan was wincing in pain. The whole scene was like a ballerina's worst nightmare.  
It was only made worse when Mimiko-sensei stood from her position of kneeling in front of the damaged dancer and shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid," she began, her voice grave but still grating on my ears, "that it is a very severe sprain. There is no possible way you can dance with this without damaging it even more."

Mai-chan's face was stricken with a torturous horror that was the personified version of shattering glass. "No!" She screeched, struggling to stand and wobbling back onto the bench again. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, lonely diamonds in a sea of sadness, and she gritted her teeth. "I can still dance," she growled, looking up at Mimiko-sensei pleadingly. "I won't let something like this stop me!"

"Maika Himegawa!" Maika-san flinched at the sound of her given name slicing out of her instructor's mouth. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She seemed so immersed and passionate in her dancing, and had it all taken away from her in a single second. I knew from experience how easily things could fall apart if you weren't careful. You had to pussyfoot around life if you wanted to make it out alive. But she seemed to resent that. Her expression was one of the innermost pains coming to life as her tears broke the surface and streamed down her cheeks. I leaned against the few selection of lockers with a breath softly escaping from my mouth. I felt the impulse to try and help, to do something for this girl who had just lost what she dedicated herself to, but there was no helping an injury like that. The best thing she could do was try her best to recover quickly and not strain it to make it worse.

Yaya-san joined me against the wall, only in a much more feminine way, standing up straight with her hands behind her back while I had my arms crossed and one leg propped against it while the other rested at an angle on the floor. "I feel bad for her," she whispered to me as Mimiko-sensei continued lecturing her prima ballerina. "Mai-chan's mother was a famous ballerina before she had to retire due to a severe leg injury. Now she works as the studio's costume designer. I think Mai-chan feels the need to pick up where her mother left off, to kind of erase the regret of leaving that career behind, you know?" I nodded in understanding. "But now look at what's happened. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now."

I cast a sideways glance towards her. "Despite the way you seem, you're actually pretty mature, huh."

She stuck her tongue out at me with a sad grin. "I have my moments."

"Yaya-san!" My friend retreated from her place beside me to stand before her instructor. "Since Maika is incapable of participating in the pageant, I ask you to stand in for her."

The carrot-head gasped. "Me? Why? There are so many dancers better than I am."

Mimiko-sensei's severe (and frightening) expression softened. "Yes, but you try your hardest out of all of them. I think you'll make a fabulous prima."

While the two discussed arrangement and what would have to be done for practice, my gaze drifted over to Maika-san again. She wouldn't even look at them. Her small, bony hands clenched into white-knuckled fists on her lap, and I heard the grating sound of her teeth grinding together. She really wanted that part, and now she had to sit and watch as everything she worked for was handed over to another girl. She looked very pitiful, her back small and hunched over like she had given up completely. I didn't even want to look at her anymore, so I turned my head to the side and focused on a mirror on the other side of the room. My eyes reflected back at me, cold as ice.

Yaya-san and I were shooed out of the room as Mimiko-sensei said she was calling Maika-san's mother to come pick her up. I imagined that only added salt to her open wound. I checked the time on my phone as Yaya-san and I watched the other girls simultaneously practice and gossip, and winced. "I should really be getting to work now," I said regretfully, slipping it back into my blazer pocket. "But I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Tell Maika-san I give her my best." I hesitated. "On second thought, maybe not. I highly doubt she'd want sympathy from an 'amazon'." I practically spat the word. Amazon. Yeah right.

Her pigtails bounced, playful as always, as she looked up at me with a bright smile. Even though she felt for her classmate, it was clear to see that she was excited about her new role as prima. "Roger that," she said. "Do you think you can maybe come again tomorrow? Just for moral support."

I grinned. "We'll see. Good luck with the rest of practice."

My Shugo Chara were, naturally, all aruging once I retreated to my chair and began gathering my things. Used to the consistent bickering, I was able to tune out of it, but from the little snippets I did hear, I gathered it was something about how Lilith had improperly attempted one of the easiest moves in ballet. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. For individual pieces of myself, I didn't understand why they just wouldn't fit together. It was like they were a representation of a conflict going on inside of me, and the very thought of such caused a disturbing feeling to wriggle in the pit of my stomach.

We were almost to the lobby- only ten more steps to go- when Satsuki gracefully fluttered in front of my face, the long back pieces of her kimono appearing like wings. "Snow, we need to talk."

My eyebrows peaked as she began her little spiel. "I heard you and the others talking in the changeroom- pardon my eavesdropping- and I couldn't help but theorize. The second she was hurt, that girl's heart began to waver and become bathed in darkness. I think that if we don't do something, it'll become an X-Egg."

Hearing the very word caused my grip on the metal stair railing to tighten, and a flash of heat to slice through my body from head to toe. If there were X-Eggs around, they would surely be accompanied by Easter. And that meant the destruction of such, and of Maika-san's dreams. Rude stranger or not, I couldn't stand by and watch as someone who shone with such brilliance sputter out just because of some selfish desires for a magical egg. I'd have to try my best and protect her when I could- which was only for about half an hour tomorrow, and maybe later at night if I chose to go to the recital. That gave me very limited options. But I'd have to work with them if I wanted to succeed this time.

I wouldn't let Easter- or Ikuto- get their hands on another child's dreams again. Not while I was a Guardian, or simply aware of their world altogether. I was the nosy type. That said, I definitely would stick myself in other's business if it meant a chance to save them.

"Ease up, there, girlie," Lilith sniffed haughtily, and I turned to glare at her. While I was expecting her usual smirk, her expression was remarkably serious. "You might want to thaw a little."

For a split second, I was confused at to what she was talking about. Then, with an almost audible snapping sound, the events of last night when the X-Eggs first came out flashed through my mind, the parts where my veins changed and hands froze to the seat most prominent. I dared a glance down to my hand clenching the railing. Sure enough, panic tore through my heart like a vicious hurricane when I saw that spiky clumps of transluscent blue-violet ice had formed all the way the smooth metal surface, beginning right at my hand. It shook when I removed it from the railing, and when I lifted it to my face, I saw that it was covered in frost again, and my veins had shifted to look like the intricate patterns on a snowflake.

I nearly fell down the stairs. What the hell was this? Nothing like it had ever happened before, and I didn't know how to make it go away. I would've liked to believe that it was impossible, that the weather was so cold outside that it managed to freeze the contents of the building. But magical eggs could come from children's souls, so why couldn't ice just form out of nowhere? Not even a speck of water was in sight, and I had to sit down on the steps and put my head between my legs.

"Why is this happening?" I whispered to myself, my voice small and wavering. "I don't understand how I'm doing this. I don't even know if I am doing this. I just want to make it go away."

A very small pressure of warmth pressed itself against my hands covering my face. When I peeled them away, I saw Satsuki worriedly staring up at me with her luminescent eyes. "Just calm down and breathe," she said slowly, like talking to a child. Nevertheless, I obeyed, and eventually managed to get my quick, panicked breaths down to only being semi-panicked. "Good. Now, I know you're scared, and I know you think that some weird stuff is happening around you with this ice, but trust me when I saw that's it's completely fine."

I glared at her. "It could've killed Utau-san if she had been even slightly in the wrong direction."

"And that's exactly why you need to keep your emotions in check." When I was about to interject and demand to know what exactly was going on, and why all of this was happening around me, she cut me off. "I know you want to understand. But you can't. Not yet. Just know that this-" she gestured loosely to the frozen railing, "-this is indeed you. You're causing spontaneous flash freezes whenever your emotions get out of check, and it is coming straight from you and directed at whatever's got you distressed. So just try your hardest to remain calm at all times."

The words barely registered through my head. It really was me that was making ice just... appear? Whenever I got in a tizzy? Why had this never happened before? I wanted to rip the answers from Satsuki's mouth, but the pleading look on her face made me think twice. So instead I simply asked, "Why?"  
All three of my Shugo Chara answered that time, each one sharing a knowing look that I finally understood was about me and this... thing. "Because it's who you are."

* * *

 

Saying that I was distracted during work would've been a gross understatement; I was a mess. And I meant that literally. Everywhere I went, disaster seemed to loom close behind, like tripping over my own two feet and sending food sprawling everywhere, letting the water in the sink overflow when I was thrown into kitchen duty, burning food when the chefs left me to watch it to take a bathroom break. I was surprised Mrs. Garrett didn't give in and bitch-slap me with all she had like I knew she wanted to. The lecture I got was like the verbal equivalent, though.

What could I tell her? I had a lot on my mind, and was basically having an existential crisis. She was completely right when she screeched that my personal life shouldn't effect my work ethic, and so I carried on as usual, busying myself with orders and dishes and basically just not breaking things everywhere I went. On my break- that had been lovingly shortened by my beautiful boss- I sat at the bar inside the kitchen and tried to make sense of everything that was happening around me. My Shugo Chara were trapped in the locker room so they wouldn't pester me while I worked, and I was essentially alone to work out the details in my head so long as I ignored the other employees around me.

It was admittedly difficult to try and sort thoughts out in your head in a kitchen overflowing with the smells of Italian delicacies; there was no escaping the smells of chicken, tomatoes, spices, and alcohol. My stomach was screaming in protest, not having anything to eat since, well, that drink at Starbucks. The sounds of sizzling meat hitting pans and whatnot swarmed around me, as were the clinking sounds of ice against glass that made chills race down my spine, the yells and orders of chefs to their subordinates, and the all-around chaos that one could expect from a busy kitchen.

However, I was able to drown out all the noise and do my best to concentrate. Okay. So the facts were as follows: somehow, I could make ice out of nothing. That didn't help my current mental state whatsoever. All that needed to happen was a slight trip in my emotions, apparently, and that was the end of whatever was in close enough proximity to me. Why? How? What happened if this thing froze a person next time? I didn't know how to even do it, let alone un-do it. Whatever it was I had in my grasp, whatever power it was that the only three people I trusted most in the world couldn't tell me about, was immensely dangerous if I wasn't careful, that much was obvious. Utau Hoshina was mere inches away from ebing crushed because of it. It was clear that I was indeed the one who had caused the technical malfunction at the concert, considering that the crash had evidence of that strangely coloured ice, and I had lost control of my emotions because of the X-Eggs mere moments before. The same thing happened the first day I came here; those thugs had gotten close to er, ravishing me, and I lost my temper. Ice had started forming on their legs just before Ikuto swooped to my rescue. Just thinking about him sent a poison barb straight through my chest, so I did my best to ignore that incident.

This was somethign I clearly had no control over. I didn't even know what it was. And I thought that was the first step to understand it- and getting rid of it. I didn't want this, whatever it was, because all it did was hurt the people and things around me. That was the last thing I ever wanted to do again. And so I'd do whatever it took to either solve this and dispose of it, or just ignore it all together and pray it went away. There was no chance I could save Maika-san in her pre-X-Egg phase if I was wavering and freezing things like this.

I surprised an unsuspecting co-worker beside me by shuffling out of nowhere. He nearly dropped his tray, but my hand darted beneath it with a swiftness that surprised even me and I handed it back to him with a forced smile. "Sorry about that," I said.

"Oh, it's no problem..." He glanced down at my name tag and looked slightly confused. "...Craig." Since I hadn't even been working here for a month yet, Mrs. Garrett thought there was no point in making me an "official" nametag, so she stuck the one of the guy who previously worked her right on me. I heaved a sigh.

"Snow," I corrected. But he had already fled the kitchen, leaving me smiling stupidly by myself, and I could hear the murmurs of the chefs around me, which consisted of, "the new kid?", "she's kind of strange", and the ever-popular "is she an albino?". No. No I was not. As far as I knew.

Grumbling to myself, I slid the notebook intended for taking orders out of my apron and the East Side Mario's issued pen. I tapped it against my chin thoughtfully at the counter, thinking hard to myself on how I could rationalize what was happening. Then a sudden thought occurred to me. In all the years I had taken science, I learned that there were certain factors around the world that could cause flash freezes, or at least drastically dropping temperatures. One of those things was a change in a surrounding ocean current, thus causing cold airs to blow up from the ocean and freeze the land around it.

Maybe my situation was a bit like that. I snapped the pen cap off quickly and began swiftly writing agaisnt the small page, line after line of theory and loopy handwriting. There were also theories out there that all humans were capable of some degree of psychic activity, in which they could affect the area around them subconciously when their emotions and desires got the best of them. If I combined the two, I had a theory on what was happening inside of me: like an ocean current, I took the change in the environment around me, such as colder temperatures, and transfered it into a solidified form of a psychic ability. Psychic flash-freezing.

I sat back in the stool, proud of myself. There were many flaws in the hypothesis, being impossible, for one. But it was the closest thing I had to making sense of a jumbled mess, and it gave me the smallest sense of security that'd help me sleep tonight. But an ugly, squirming disease of doubt wormed in the pit of my stomach, like I was somehow way off-base. But I had to ignore it to give myself peace of mind.

Satisfied, I was able to slip the notepad back in my pocket and get back to work. An hour or so of flawlessly taking orders and delivering them, much to Mrs. Garrett's dismay, I was able to clock out and step outside into the fresh night air. I relaxed for the first time all day once I smelled the dampness against the asphalt, a slight drizzle coming down and dampening my bangs. I really had to start wearing a coat of some sort to at least stop from getting wet. The refreshing and mundane sound of cars swooshing through the wet streets gave me a sense of familiarlity in a strange place, which further helped to ease my mind. My Shugo Chara noticed the change in my countenance and exchanged grins with each other.

My steps cracked as I began walking home against the small pebbles scraping off the cement. And then they came to a sudden sliding stop when something occurred to me. The best way to prove a theory... was to test it, wasn't it? Maybe I could try and see whatever this power was by attempting to use it on purpose. By trying to control it. And maybe if I learned to control it, I could get rid of it. I could be normal at last.

Vivian probably had to be the most perceptive of my Shugo Chara, because she almost immediately understood my sudden halt. "What are you planning to do?" She demanded. My gaze had traveled to the alleyway right beside my work place, the one where Ikuto and I had spoken once. It was dotted with puddle from the rain in an unorganized pattern. And I knew that the way to make ice was to freeze water.

"Snow," Vivian warned as I ducked into the alley, my hair flying out behind me. I kneeled in front of the nearest puddle possible and stared at my wavering, murky reflection. I watched as a smile slowly spread across my face. My heartbeat was quick and fluttering, a baby bird taking off for flight for the very first time. I had to admit that I was kind of excited to see if I had some mystical ice mojo going on with me, but that didn't mean I wanted to keep it. I'd do whatever I could to become normal after this. I just had to see exactly what it did first.

"I just want to try something," I told her, slowly dipping my fingertips in the water. It was strange just feeling its surface lap over my pale hands and not feeling its cool temperature, but then again, I never felt the temperature of water. Just like wading through silk.

"You don't know what you're doing," Vivian warned, Lilith and Satsuki cautiously watching from behind my hair. "You don't even know what this is."

"Which is why I have to try," I snapped, flinging my head up to glare at her. "I can never accomplish anything if I don't try. If I understand it, I can get closer to getting rid of it."

Vivian opened her mouth to say something, then snapped it shut just as quickly. Her expression seemed like she regretted even mentioning the ice in the first place. She remained silent as she sat on my shoulder, but I could feel tension roiling off of her, a heavy stone weighing me down. But I steeled my shoulders and returned my gaze to the pool of water. How did I go about this? The way I had done it before was completely unconciously, when my emotions got away from me. Now all I could do was try and focus on my theory. Try to feel the cold around me and channel it out of my hands. But I can't feel the cold. Oh, don't worry about that, just try it anyway. Even if you can't feel it, you know it's cold around you. Try to imagine what it feels like. But how can I do that if I don't even know what cold really means? I don't understand the concept of it! OH STOP IT AND JUST FOCUS.

I thought of people shivering out in the streets. I thought of passerby blowing puffs of steam from their mouths. I thought of falling snow, frost covering the windows. I thought of my father.

And suddenly, something seemed to fly out of my fingers. It felt as if something had always been building up inside of me, like the feeling of unshed tears, and everything just burst out at once in a spontaneous fit of crying. Somethign felt like it was flushing out of me, and I looked down in shock, wonder, and fear, to see that my hands had gone that strange aurora colour of bluish-violet. The veins in them were shifting again, and it actually looked like blood-vessel blue snowflakes were falling on the backs of my hands. But it was just my hands. The actual water hadn't frozen.

I braced my knees against the pavement and physically pushed myself even further. Like cutting the string off of a balloon and setting it free to the eternal sky, glittering alice blue, intricate patterns began exploding on the surface of the water. They spread out and spread out, lace being tugged and loosening, and wherever they left, solid aurora ice was left in their wake. I sucked in a shocked gasp. I had done it! I was actually making real ice!

But it didn't stop at the puddle.

The patterns exploded all over the ground of the alley, completely covering the black asphalt and leaving not a trace behind. My breath came out in quick, panicked bursts, my heart crashing straight through my chest. I felt feverishly hot from pushing myself that much, and the fear wasn't helping the stinging headache forming in my temples. The ice was completely sheer and untouched. It was like staring at a postcard of the arctic tundra. When the entire ground was covered, it began to claw its way up the walls, like demonic hands devouring everything they saw.

I stood on the ice underneath my feet, and found that it was the slipperiest I had ever experienced. I didn't know how to stop the ice. What if it just kept going and going and covered the buildings? The streets? I had to do something, anything.

It was halfway up the brick walls now, and I clenched my hands into fists. Not knowing what else to do, I threw my arms up in a protective 'X' formation, and tore them apart, crying out, "Please, stop!"

And shockingly, it did. But the ice didn't just halt in its path. It stopped and flew outward into the open air, still attached to the wall, and forming into deadly spears of blue and violet that twinkled in the moonlight. They glinted dangerously, the edges of sharpened knives or teeth. They completely blocked off the alley in a tomb sort of cage, any hopes of getting through completely botched. Raindrops had solidified and frozen in the air, and dropped to the ground with the sound of tiny shards of glass shattering against a hard surface.

The whole scene appeared to be something you'd witness in the Arctic tundra; not right in the middle of Akutetsu city. And I had done it all. My entire body shook and quievered like I was being physically shaken vigorously by someone, but I was alone besides my Shugo Chara. Yes, I had mystical ice powers alright, being a reflection of the weather or not. And I had no idea how to control them or what to do about them. If I wasn't careful and unleashed it, even accidentally, I could hurt someone- perhaps even freeze them to death.

"What..." I breathed, though it came out more like a sob. "What should I do? I don't even know how to make this go away! I'm like a walking bomb that could go off any second if I get mildly pissed off!"

"Snow," Satsuki hedged gently, and I turned my trembling gaze to her. She floated right before my face, a small smile playing on her lips- though her eyes looked sad. "We knew you're scared. But there's nothing you can do about this. Just go home and forget that it even happened."

My jaw almost hit the ground. "Forget it even happened? How can I possibly do that when there's some kind of ice trap right in the middle of an-"

"Listen," she enunciated, more stren than I had ever seen her. "Everything will be alright if you just go home and forget. Tonight, you'll finish your homework and go to sleep. You'll wake up tomorrow, eat breakfast, go to school. Then you'll go to the recital and do what you can to help Maika-san. Nothing will change if you just forget."

"Satsuki, that doesn't make any sense!" A hysterical edge had taken to my voice, and I clutched at the hair on the top of my head. "Going home and forgettting won't make this ice go away! It won't make me normal again!"

"You've never been normal," Lilith interjected, her small arms crossed and tense. "But Satsuki's right. Just leave for now. You can try coping with this when you're ready and not being a brat."

"I'm not-"

"Home," Vivian hissed, pointing in the direction of Crystalshire apartments. I clenched my jaw and glared at the three of them, wondering why they were so insistent on just abandoning what I had done, but turned on my heel and began marching away. People on the street glanced twice at me when they saw the look on my face, like I had just lost something very important to me. But I kept walking. My steps got faster and faster the more I knew I was going in the right direction for once, and I finally found myself standing angrily before the sparkling towers, fists clenched at my sides and shaking. Whoever walked by that alley would think it bizarre and freakish, and they'd call other people around them to advertise it. They'd probably tweet about it. But could they ever know a person did that? That I had done it?

I stared up at the moon, which was just edging away from its previous full phase. The sky had finally given in to the pressure of rain and let it all pour down onto the streets, causing a sound like that of crashing waves and the soaking of anyone unlucky enough to be outside. It completely soaked through my clothes now, made my hair stick to my phase and block my vision. The girls hid behind my hair, shaking slightly from the dropped temperature, but I didn't. I'd never be able to feel it. I'd never be like other people.  
All I'd wanted was a place to belong.

* * *

 

"Are you ready for this?" Yaya-san said menacingly beside me, rolling her shoulders back and forth as if she was about to charge into some final battle, not her ballet studio. I nodded in response as we both peered around the doorway to see the practice in full view, trying to get a good idea what was going on right then, and of Maika-san's condition. She sat in my fold-out chair from yesterday, curse her, watching the dancers with something like contempt in her eyes. Crutches were stationed on the wall beside her, her ankle wrapped in chunky, precise gauze. In summary, it was a picture of pure bitterness, and while I did feel bad for her, I also felt tempted to laugh at how ironic it was.

"How should I go about this?" Yaya-san wondered aloud, standing and leaning against the wall we were previously peering around. "'Hey, Mai-chan. Sorry about your leg. But don't worry, I'm prima now, and I'll do a great job in your place!'"

"Don't say that," I warned with raised eyebrows. "That'll make things about a thousand times worse. Just go in and act normal."

She nodded firmly. "Right." She shoved off the wall, walking like a wind-up toy, and tripped the instant she crossed the threshold. I smacked my palm against my face and let it slide down slowly, rolling my eyes simultaneously. That was kind of impressive, even for her.

Nonetheless, she got up and dusted herself off as if nothing had happened, marching straight towards the changing room without looking back. Maika-san was looking at her with something like disgust, and I resisted the urge to smack her across the face. People who just took their bitterness out on others weren't only cruel, but just plain irritating. She was lucky I was only planning to pop out in the case that she unleashed an X-Egg. I was to remain incognito until then, because according to Yaya-san, my presence would probably only antagonize her. Right.

Which left me sitting out there for half an hour, simply watching and waiting for something to happen. Their practice was progressing like what I assumed to be normal, the girls murmuring amongst themselves as they stretched and perfected their moves. Maika-san watching completely silently, brooding alone in her sad little corner, the look on her face darkening more and more as the time moved on. I probably would've been suspicious of that if I hadn't been lying on the floor, holding my phone up to my face looking up things about ice powers and whatnot. I kept my expression carefully blank as I read and read, always reminding myself not to get too worked up about anything anymore. My Shugo Chara had fabricated some sort of game to pass the time that was similar to hide-and-seek, only it was done in my hair.

The numbers on my phone's clock just kept increasing until it was nearly four o'clock. I would have to leave for work soon, then come back for the recital. All of the girls in the room were gathering in the change room to begin preparing and discussing, leaving Maika-san sitting in her corner, and Yaya-san lingering while gazing in that direction. I sat up properly, the little people falling out of my hair, and watched as Yaya-san approached her with a smile on her face. I didn't even have to strain to her their conversation.

"Um, Mai-chan," Yaya-san began, the smile never falling from her face. "Are... are you coming to the recital tonight?"

"Of course I am, you dimwit," the recipitent snapped, glaring up at my younger companion. I dug my nails into the space between two floorboards, having to keep myself from marching in there and... oogh. "My mom's the designer, so I have to come."

"Oh... that's good then."

Maika-san gave Yaya-san a look that made her jump back a step. "Good? Of course it's not good. I should be going as the prima, not you. I'm far better, and I worked way harder. All you do is goof off and laugh when you should be practicing." Her fingers grasped the edges of her chair until her knuckles turned white. "It should be me."

The expression on Yaya-san's face was heartwrenching, like she was watching a glass figurine fall apart before her into millions of fragments. "Mai-chan..."

"I guess hard work..." Maika-san lowered her head so she was just staring into her lap. "Hard work is just... useless."

"Uh-oh," I said aloud, making my Shugo Chara stop glaring at me for dropping them for a second and focus on the issue at hand. "There's a word we don't like. Is it happening now?"

Each of them focused on the girl curling further and further in on herself, then nodded in unison. "It is," Vivian murmured. "Right now, in fact."

As soon as she spoke the words, a dark sort of fog began spilling from Maika-san, her body growing limp until it slammed on to the floor with a thud that earned a grimace from me. Yaya-san squeaked and ran towards her, shaking her shoulder and calling her name. In the middle of the mist, an oval shape began forming and swirling until it finally became a physical thing, an X-Egg floating above them. "Useless..." It hissed softly, a snake waiting to pounce on its prey. Yaya-san was struggling to pull up Maika-san and drag her out of there, but her brittle arms couldn't take it. "Useless..."

Before I could even think of standing, I had to inhale and exhale multiple times to calm my racing heart. I couldn't let my emotions get too out of hand. I didn't want Yaya-san to even witness a tiny bit of what a freak I was. So I counted to ten, waited until the angry flush drained from my cheeks, and stood from the floor with the crack of my knuckles. "Let's go save Maika-san's dream," I said to the three tagalongs, and for once, they didn't argue, but grinned at each other in unison.

Stepping out of my hiding place would've been too soft a word to use; It would have been more accurate to say that I bolted out of it with a squeak of my red and white sneakers against the floor and flew into the room with a sharp turn and a slam of the door. The X-Egg was flying right at Yaya-san's head, and she was too preoccupied taking care of Maika-san's unconscious body to notice until the very last second. This left me to swoop in and be the hero again, knocking them both out of the way before it could give her a concussion. She made an obscenely loud noise of protest, but piped down when she saw that it was only me righting myself on the polished floor next to her, not some random stranger who got the urge to knock her down.

"What do we do?!" Yaya-san demanded, still cradling Maika-san's body. Her condition seemed to be worsening from the laboured rate of her breath and the sweat beading out on her forehead. I had no idea having an egg become an X had that effect on people. Not to mention that Maika-san had the added injury of a sprained ankle. She had to be in a lot of pain. And the X-Egg spazzing out in midair wasn't helping anyone.

Huge cracks tore into the sides of its shell, which earned a gasp from both Yaya-san and I. The egg was hatching already, which meant even greater difficulties for us. Seeming to sense as such, Yaya-san hefted Maika-san over the other side of the room, gently resting her head on the floor. She then returned to my side, and we both exchanged a brief look of camaraderie. Then a smile.

"Pepe-tan!" She called, and her Shugo Chara jumped into the fray as per her request. The egg popped apart with a snapping sound that made more than my ears bleed, and a small character the size of the others popped out, a giant red 'X' on its head and a small tutu on its waist. "Useless!" It screamed with a wicked grin on its face that spelled all kinds of trouble. "Useless!"

Yaya-san took me even more by surprise when she started laughing like- well, like Character Changed Tadase-kun as she called to it, "Is that really all you have yo say?" I almost laughed with her at her audacity, but she was already getting right down to business. "Pepe-tan, Character Change!"

The little baby character immediately obeyed her master with a cheesy little salute, and creeper me out just a tad when she seemed to seep into Yaya-san's chest. A little change followed, in which Yaya-san obtained a baby bib, bonnet, and... giant rattle. I'd have to remind myself not to get her too angry with that thing.

She swung said giant rattle, decked out in designs of pink and colourful stars, high into the air with the most hilariously concentrated expression I couldn't help but snort a bit. "Giant Rattle Attack!" She screeched, like it wasn't obvious enough. I brightened at the thought of not having anything to do myself, beamed with pride for Yaya-san, but that all pretty much fell to pieces when the X-Character simply poked the top of the baby weapon and it collapsed on top of my companion. I was stunned speechless as I economically kicked it off of her and across the room, and she immediately started to whine and ball her eyes out.

 _Seriously?_  I thought, my mouth a straight, irritated line. I had only done this purification thing once, and I wasn't even sure how. I just wanted, with all my being, for Weiss-san to realize that she did have control of her own life. That nothing was "useless" without even trying. And that was how I managed to stand straight in front of my tiny yet threatening enemy with a new kind of determination.

"No matter what becomes of us," I began while I gritted my teeth. "Nothing I'd useless when we haven't even tried to overcome it. Isn't that right, Maika-san? What reason do you have to just let your dreams pass you by now?!"

Her voice, strangely thin and fragile, flowed through the air, as if we were in a dream. I would've thought it was just me who could hear her, but even the weeping Yaya-san lifted her head slightly to catch a glimpse of the temporarily calmed X-Character. "It's all pointless," the ballerina murmured, her airy voice congested with what sounded to be sobs. "With an injury like this, I'll become just like Mama. Her hard work went all to waste because of one little mistake, and now look at her! She's been reduced to making the costumes for the very passion she used to pursue! What kind of way to follow up success is that?"

I could only shrug. "Dunno. I'm not exactly 'in the know' with ballet'."

Even in its dream-like state, her voice was clearly pissed off at me, something I was sadly growing accustomed to. "It's downright shameful, that's what!"

This time I couldn't help but smile. When I had come with Yaya-san earlier, I witnessed the girls fawning over their costumes for the recital tonight with a very beautiful woman- most likely none other than Maika-san's mother. She was smiling at the girls with all the hope and pride in the world, like they were all her children- dancing on a sparkling stage just to make her beam with pride. "Didn't seem that way to me," I said, more to the X-Character than to the transparent voice so I wouldn't feel, you know, completely awkward. "Your mother seemed to be happily living the dream to me. Your dreams aren't just your own, you know. You share them and wish them for those you care about."

Now the X-Character just looked confused. But I had to a say I knew what I was talking about. Maika-san's mother was fully aware that her time to dream had passed- now she was dreaming for all the ballerinas around her. And wasn't that a true virtue of being a dreamer? Being able to share it with others?  
I turned to face my Charas, always floating nearby. Always supporting me from the very time I learned of their existence. And even when it seriously ticked me off, protecting me in ways I couldn't understand. Especially from myself. "Hey, Viv," I called to the gothic lolita, who was so surprised she dropped the ever-present distressed rabbit to the floor. "Wanna know what Character Transforming feels like?"

For the very first time since I met her, Vivian smiled a whole and pure smile, the kind I always wished I could form on my own face, forever frozen in sourness. "Of course!" She squealed, which left the other two to sigh in disappointment and simply watch.

And for the very first time, I held out my hand to them.

They may have been annoying. They may feel the need to keep important knowledge from me- like having some freak ice powers. But this wasn't for nothing. They weren't useless. My Shugo Chara were born when they were to tell me something- I understood that now. Their presence meant,  _don't give up! Not just yet! Even when everything seems pointless, we'll always be here to take your hand!_

Vivian rushed forward and placed her small hand in mine. The Humpty Lock- perpetually trapped in my blazer pocket- began shooting out sunny rays of light. Once again, I found myself in that water-like space, coruscating shapes floating past me and Vivian. The hues of the "water" were violet this time, and the way they shifted colours made the entire experience seem like a slow, aching dream. But it wasn't a dream. It became all the more real when Vivian began to shine in a blinding gold light, and disappeared altogether into my chest- which would probably never stop creeping me out.

I felt the shift and shuffle of fabric sliding over my bare arms, a weight on my head that must've meant a hat. My chest felt light and fluttery, hundreds of butterflies taking off in a long-awaited flight. It felt like I was free to breathe in the first the very first in a while, as if Character Transforming gave me clean air to breathe. And finally, when I opened my eyes again, I was back in the ballet studio with excess violet sparkles dancing off of my body. Everyone that was present had their eyes popping out of their head and jaws dropping to the floor, Lilith and Satsuki included. Even the unconscious Maika-san had her eyebrows raised instead of contorted pain.

When I examined my new Character Transformation for the first time, I could understand why. Standing in the mirror wall across the room was my reflection that resembled some kind of gothic ringmaster of a circus. A deep violet silk shirt covered my arms and ruffled out at the neck, two triangles of the same material falling over the short, fluffy, light purple tulle skirt over my legs. Admittedly the most adorable lace-up high heeled boots I'd ever seen protected my feet, with two giant black bows sprouting at the top. A large, black and purple silk top hat rested on my head, leaving my bangs to press against my eyes. Thank goodness for small mercies, because my legs were covered by toxic purple tights. And in my hand was- ho-LEE shit- a neon purple bass-axe.

Now, call me biased, but I found this outfit far more comfortable than Lilith's. No bare skin was exposed, and I was a fan of the steampunk bustier that covered my torso. Like she could hear my thoughts, she stopped gawking for a moment to give me the glare of a venomous snake. Whoops.

Are you ready for this? Vivian asked me telepathically, the excitement evident even in a voice in my head. I nodded in response, a wicked smirk spreading over my face. I felt like I could do anything. With that in mind, I let loose an ecstatic breath and brandished the bass at the floating Character, who seemed to flinch back in surprise. It recovered quickly and began to twirl, around and around, until lashes of darkness began whipping off of it and towards us. While Yaya-san screamed like a little girl and ducked out of the way, I merely leapt up and over them, landing gracefully on the ground with a click of my heels.

"Character Transformation," I automatically recited, and struck a sassy pose for the heck of it, "Dancing Pierrot!"

"Oooh!" Yaya-san crowed from the other side of the room, as she picked herself off the floor. "You look awesome, Snowcchi! Show 'em who's boss!"

I stopped grinning with self pride for a moment to whip a glare at her. "If you really feel that way, then do something!"

"I don't want to steal the spotlight." Bull.

What now? I asked Vivian, while I watched Maika-san's body jerk and seize up in pain as her X-Character lashed out another attack.

 _What you did last time,_  she rattled, clearly pleased with herself.  _Talk to it. Tell it what it needs to hear to calm it down. Then we can purify it once it isn't so busy bitch-whipping us._

"Right," I said aloud, and jumped- or rather, flew- to dodge another attack. My body felt completely weightless, a feather being carried along by a careless breeze. It didn't feel as free as it did with Lilith, but I supposed that was just a difference of ability. Vivian said she was born from my wish to be heard, and I supposed that explained the bass in my hand. It would be loud and unable to be ignored. I wondered what exactly I was supposed to do with it...

Once I had landed safely again, I turned my full attention to the glaring X-Character. I let loose a breath that had been congesting me, and began to speak as steadily as I could. "I know it feels like your hard work was all for nothing. But it definitely wasn't. You may be hurt now, but I know you of all people will be able to stand strong and proud again." I felt my serious expression soften into a smile. "Your dancing was beautiful. Even I was captivated. And if you just keep pushing yourself, if you just keep working hard, you'll get even better. You'll shine even brighter than your mother soon. And if I know you, even a little bit, you'll become a prima on the world stage."

It surprised me to see that the X-Character had indeed calmed down, and merely speculated me with curiosity and- and regret. While it temporarily drew in on itself, as if repenting for its actions, Vivian began reciting directions haughtily to me. Hold your guitar as if you would a normal one.

I did so, one hand on the sleek, black neck, and the other pressing it to my stomach with my fingers rested on the chords. It felt familiar and comfortable in my arms, as they were already used to cradling the instrument carefully but confidently. Jack was taught to play the guitar by his father, so he was insistent on teaching it to me as well a few years after they adopted me. For years we would gather in the den to look over sheet music and finger chords together, both our fingers eventually blistering and aching. Mary would bandage them up in a way only a mother could, then we'd go right back to playing. My heart swelled at the memory and in a bout of loneliness, but I pushed it aside. Maika-san needed to hear it right now.

Now play it, she stated simply, but the pride beaming from her disembodied voice made me roll my eyes. She was so superficial. Nonetheless, I slid and positioned my left hand along the neck, while I used my right to curiously strum the chords. The sound that came out was unlike any I've heard before, a melancholy twang that seemed to pass right through your eyes and inflitrate the depths of your chest. However, I nearly dropped the thing when quick, bouncing, bubble-like multi-coloured musical notes shot right out from it. But I was reassured by Vivian that they were justa part of the purification process. Right. Although I really started to believe that as I watched the X-Character close its eyes in a strange sort of peace, and slowly rock along to the melody.

A huge grin broke out on my face as I kept playing, and I observed as Maika-san's pinched and pained expression softened and settled into a peaceful smile. Like sucking them into a black hole, the musical notes were absorbed right into the X-Character until a subtle glow began emanating from it, sunshine breaking through the clouds on a miserable day. I strung the final chord of a song that I had never learned, simply one that I knew, and it was finally engulfed completely with a shining light that seemed to be the trademark of Shugo Chara magic. The light blinded me and reflected against the mirrors and windows, leaving the studio to shine like a beacon in what was once nothing but negativity and darkness. Once it slowly ebbed away, where the X-Character once floated was a mini Maika-san, with her hair done up in an elaborate up-do and clad in a white tutu with feathers and sequins.

"Merci beaucoup," she said with a small bow to me, a sight to see even if it wasn't really Maika-san doing it. Nonetheless, I smiled at her, exceedingly happy to have saved someone, even just one person, from having their heart crushed. "I don't ever want to regret giving up on my dream. And I won't dance with red shoes anymore. I'll learn to dance with my own toe shoes." She smiled gracefully, and just then her expression really reminded me of the truly happy one I saw on Maika-san's mother's face. "Bonne nuit, Snow-chan. I'm sure we'll meet again someday..." And with that, she slowly melted back into her owner's chest, protected by a pure white egg.

Maika-san's eyelashes began to flutter, a sure sign she'd be waking soon. I tried to quickly evacuate the scene, but tripped and fell over upon discovering I had shrank a few inches. That was only because my Character Transformation had come undone, and I was no longer in high-heeled boots, but just my red sneakers. Yaya-san silenced her incessant cheering and whoops to start laughing mercilessly at me as I flushed beet red and cralwed over to the doorway, and my Shugo Chara so no harm in joining her. Once I felt the door close safely behind me, I heaved a relieved sigh and settled back against the wall. I heard muffled voices from inside, meaning Maika-san must've awoken, and I smiled despite myself.

But it immediately fell away when I heard someone cluck their tongue, as if in disappointment. It must've been said to themselves, but I was able to hear exactly what they muttered thanks to my large ears. "Another one failed," they said, their voice filled with contempt. "Maybe I'll have to try turning eggs into X's on a bigger scale..."

Screw sitting. I was immediately on my feet and darting towards where the voice was coming from, down the hall and to the right. But the person was already melting into the shadows, chuckling to themselves, like it had been  _entertaining_  to watch a child suffer and fall apart.

"Whoever you are," I called after them, completely livid to the extent of shaking, "I won't let you keep doing this. If you've been putting X's on those children's eggs..." Ice began spreading on the wall beside me, like a window that had been delicately painted on the wall, terrifying me but also emphasizing my point. "You've just made a horrible enemy."

Moments of silence ticked by, so much I began to wonder if I was just imagining things. But then the disembodied voice chuckled again, and I could tell from its low pitch that it belonged to a man. And it also seemed eerily familiar... "I look forward to meeting you again," he murmured dangerously. "Miss Snow."

Something told me that he wasn't simply calling my name; he was also referring to the frost covering the wall beside me, mist roiling off of it as a sign of contrasting temperatures. I narrowed my eyes and said nothing more, burning on the inside with rage and the ability pouring out. Whoever this man was, he was pulling out X-Eggs on purpose. Could he have been with Easter? There was really no telling, since I hadn't bothered to chase after them. But something deep inside, something wriggling and poisonous like an insect, told me that this wasn't the last time I'd see them.

We'd meet again. And when we did, I'd put a stop to him. No matter what.

The ice speared out from the wall again as a sign of my rising temper, stopping only inches from my furious expression. I didn't even bother wondering how I'd get rid of it, since Satsuki merely reassured me that it'd "take care of itself". Whatever. I'd take care of it, too, eventually. Even if that meant harming myself in the process.

I'd do whatever it took to protect others from myself again.

* * *

 

Despite her falls, protests, and grumblings, Yaya-san made a truly impressive prima ballerina.

Lucky for me, the recital started later into the night, so I was able to rush from work to the dance studio (despite getting a tad bit lost on the way- and by a tad, I meant I ended up right where I started). I was able to make it, regardless, and was exceedingly happy that I did. The other Guardians were there as well to support our bubbly junior, and I swore Kukai-kun was almost in tears as he watched Yaya-san dip and twirl like a true fairy. She slipped and fell, and seemed to miss a few turns, but would always pick herself up and flawlessly carry on the show without a change in expression. Despite witnessing the practices, I was almost able to believe that they were a part of the show. And that had to require some skill.

The viewing hall erupted in thunderous applause from scouts and parents, and Kukai-kun was actually sobbing by the time it was over. I leaned closer to him and tauntingly whispered "Drama queen", which earned me a jab in the ribs. But I was able to laugh it off. Whether I liked it or not, the ice threatening to come out if my emotions ran out of control was keeping me more reigned-in than I'd ever been. And that was something to be thankful for.

After the show, we all visited Yaya-san backstage. Nadeshiko-san handed her a bouquet of beautiful white and pink flowers that made a sickeningly sweet scent tickle my nose. Kukai-kun hugged her like she was his daughter going off on a life journey or something, which simply made the rest of us laugh. It almost seemed like we were normal kids congratulating a friend on a job well done.

When in reality, we were all grateful for at least saving one more dream today.

I was shocked into silence when Maika-san hobbled up to us on her crutches. Despite everything that had happened, her expression was as defiant as ever. She tilted her nose up at Yaya-san with a smug little smile. "You did good,"she said, which made the former and I gasp in complete surprise. "But you made seven mistakes and even fell twice." That sounded more like her. "Look out, because I won't be missing the next recital."

That got a smile from me even with my rising temper. It seemed she really heard my words about not giving up and all that. I had really helped someone else. That made me feel more accomplished than anything.

"And you," she grumbled roughly as she turned to face me. I raised an eyebrow as I watched her face slowly begin to flush. "I don't know why, but it feels like I should thank you. Even if you are annoying, you must've said something to lift me out of the dumps. So... thanks."

I smiled smugly at her and bent down to ruffle her hair until it came loose from its high ponytail. "You're very welcome," I giggled.

She swat my hand away. "Don't touch me, you amazon."

And suddenly I was being held back by my comrades again. "DON'T CALL ME AN AMAZON!"


	10. What it Means to Dream

**Chapter IX**

**_What It Means To Dream_ **

It was just one of those mornings when you couldn't decide if you were happy or not to be going to school.

On the one hand, I was completely exhausted. The entire week had been dedicated to preparing everything for the sports festival. That meant ordering jerseys for those who required them, getting the funds for new equipment, purchasing refreshments and rewards... it was a lot more work than I had ever anticipated, never having done something like this before. One the other hand, I was excited to participate. It was a whole day without any books or lessons, just action and fun. The very thought made my heart beat faster in anticipation. And that's what lead me to believe that I was more happy than not, which motivated me to slide out of bed, on to the floor, and inch into the bathroom like a worm.

Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki were still sleeping soundly in their makeshift beds, but the first-born stirred and snorted with the large bump that came with my body falling to the ground. How kind of them to be so aware and concerned for my safety. I washed my face with a refreshing cleanser to wake me up, brushed my teeth thoroughly, and did what little makeup I had to. I wondered what to do with my hair, something I hadn't done in quite a while. I opted for just scraping it into a neat ponytail with two braids along the sides of my head, and smiled at my reflection. That was also something I hadn't done for a while.

What little money I had left after paying rent was put towards groceries and a Seiyo Academy-issue jersey. For females, it was a simple red tracksuit with white lines along the sides of the pants and across the chest, with the small crescent moon insignia with a star in the middle above the heart (how lovely). There was an identical short-sleeved tee-shirt with inverted colours to put on underneath. I dressed in it happily, even humming to myself, since Tadase-kun had said to just go to school dressed in them at the Guardian's meeting yesterday. I wondered if other people would as well, or if they'd just change into them later. Before I began to feel horribly self-conscious again, I pointed at my reflection in my closet's floor-length mirror and pointedly said, "You are hotter than hell." Although that seemed fairly contrary.

Because I had ice on the inside.

That ended up making the girls wake up at a horribly awkward moment. I only noticed while I was making poses in the mirror when Lilith snorted. When I whirled around, my face a mask of mortification, they were all busting a gut. Why were they so mean to me? I didn't understand. Maybe it meant that the pieces of myself I longed to have actually clashed a lot.

They only bothered to stop laughing and come out of my room when they smelled food. They collectively floated out at the speed of small rockets to stand on the counter and watch as I put last night's leftovers of garden salad and tortellini into containers to eat for lunch. They accomplished something that left me impressed: simultaneously raising their eyebrows.

"You never pack a lunch," Lilith stated, scooping a halved strawberry out and splitting it amongst the three of them.

"I don't feel like buying anything today," I stated simply, snapping the lids on the containers shut tight. "Besides, I'll be too busy. Not only am I participating in some of the events, but the Guardians helped to organize the whole thing. I'll be leading events and monitoring them as well." My heart was suddenly at the pit of my stomach just thinking about it. I had just arrived to Seiyo Academy, and it already felt like I had huge responsibilities I never had before at any school. I never liked to stick out; but with all the classes practicing for their events, I had to order them around and state the rules. I felt completely embarrassed and presumptuous, especially since hardly anyone knew me.

My face flushed furiously at the memory. Just  _why?_ The whole week was a slow, downward spiral to Hell. I remembered there was a kid in my English class who wouldn't listen to what Nadeshiko-san or I had to say, and I let my temper get the better of me again. My dialect was exposed to the whole class, and his ear was still red from when I pulled on it and yelled. I had never received so many intimidated and confused looks. But Nadeshiko-san just started laughing, already used to my erratic behaviour. If I was being honest, the whole experience might've actually helped me to fit in more. People knew my name now, and exactly who I was, despite when it was announced officially in front of the school at the annual Guardian's Assembly. I had a reputation of being pleasant enough, but a piece of work when I got angry. I couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing yet.

I paused in preparing waffles to heave a sigh and reflect seriously on what my life had become. That caught the girls' attention, and they took a break from munching on their strawberry to look up at me. "Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Lilith asked, her mouth full of fruit and dyed a deep, deep red.

Before I responded, I took the whipped cream intended for the waffles, pressed the nozzle, and sprayed a bunch in my mouth. The fluffiness and creaminess made me feel giddy as I broke it down thoughtfully. "I was just thinking," I began, wiping the excess rabies-looking cream from around my mouth with my bare arm, having rolled up my sleeve. "My life has changed from the second I came here. I start living on my own, going to school in a new country, making friends, becoming a sort-of student council member..." I blinked a few times before going any further. "...Finding out about the existence of... magic and stuff, like you guys. I never would've thought I'd be talking to three little Thumbalinas in my whole life. And also..."

I squeezed my hand on the side of the counter. The pressure seemed to make an electric current shoot up my arm, and it felt as though my very blood was swirling inside of it, and something else was flowing out. Ice was beneath my hand before I knew it, five grooves in its surface to accommodate my fingers. "This happened," I finished, flexing my fingers like could still feel the power running through them.

On top of preparing everything for Sports' Day, I had also spent the week further investigating the whole ice business. I did internet research, and searched books at the library, but what was I thinking? There was little to no information on abilities like what I possessed. And what was mostly originated from old legends and myths about devils and yukionnas... which left me little to hope for. I was really a freak. A freak with some weird ability I couldn't understand or control. I also thought there would be a huge uproar over the messes I left in the alleyway and at the dance studio, but the next day, each was gone. Like it had never even been there. At first, I presumed it had just melted, but Satsuki shed a bit of rare light on the subject saying that it was impossible to melt with natural elements. Whatever that meant. It didn't change the fact that they had mysteriously disappeared. Maybe someone had broken them on purpose.

Which was indeed possible, if you tried hard enough. Another thing I learned was that this mystical ice was incredibly hard to break. It required actual tools and force, unlike the kind you'd find on the roadside in winter. Which reminded me that I had another mess to clean up. I retrieved the hammer I had purchased at the beginning of the week with a roll of my eyes, and set to work smashing it off the counter. It was a real pain in the ass, but nearly impossible to avoid and ignore. It involved prying, pulling, smashing, and even kicking. Eventually shards of it fell to the ground with dull clunks, and I kicked them away in frustration. The whole thing was stupid and ridiculous. Maybe I was cursed or something. Maybe this was divine retribution for all the wrongs I had committed. Whatever it was, I wished it would piss off.

Satsuki, Lilith, and Vivian each looked like they almost pitied me, and I hated that. I didn't want to be felt sorry for. That made me feel weak and exposed, like I couldn't defend myself. But I could. I was an adult, and I could take perfectly good care of myself.

"We should go," said Vivian from the counter, who was looking at the clock on the microwave that read 7:47. "We have to be there earlier than usual."

"You're right." I minded my step around the carnage and set to packing my lunch in my bag and putting on my running shoes. Today I remembered to actually put on a coat and scarf. The weather forecast said it'd be slightly warmer than normal, but I didn't know what normal was in the colder seasons. Better to be safe than sorry.

"Is everything ready to go?" I asked them just as I was shutting off the light to the apartment. There was murmurs of positive replies and a thumbs-up from Lilith. It felt strange, speaking like that to what should've been an empty apartment. It felt kind of like I was talking like a mother.

The day was what I considered to be quite nice. The sun was only just nervously peeping from out of the clouds, meaning it wouldn't be mercilessly beating down on my back like it always did in the summer. A wind would blow by every now and again during the walk, never cold to me, but always like the breeze you feel on the beach during a simmering summer day; not exactly cool, but relieving all the same. It carried the scent of crispness that only came with fall and winter preparing just above the clouds, the bite of frost a promise carried on the breeze. Leaves kept crunching underfoot as I walked, and I had to resist the urge to giggle. I had always loved that sound, though winter was admittedly my favourite season. Well... it used to be. Now I had a sort of vendetta against it.

I was humming to myself completely unconsciously, even without my headphones in. That was another first for me. I listened to the conversations the girls carried on, which were mainly complaints of the Guardian's Shugo Chara (and by Guardian's, I meant Tadase's Shugo Chara, Kiseki). Kiseki was bossy. Kiseki was a prick. Kiseki needed to learn that the world wasn't there to serve him. His cape made him look overly flamboyant. It was funny to hear them talking about that, almost like they were talking about the popular but asshole jock at a high school. Hearing their voices had became so normal to me that it was honestly hard to imagine any time without them. Although I had lived eighteen years without.

I wondered why they never even showed up when I was a kid, like they were supposed to.

Upon climbing the hill that lead right to Seiyo Academy's gates, I could already hear the collective hum and murmur of excited and agitated students all gathered in one place. People walked in front and behind me, blessedly wearing their respective jerseys so I wouldn't have to be on their hide about it.

"Snow, stop that," Vivian chided me, earning a jolt. "You're grinning creepily."

"Oh, sorry," I said automatically, then figured I had nothing to apologize for and got all defensive. "Everyone does it sometimes. It's completely normal to smile to yourself."

"But not to talk to yourself, so don't respond anymore."

Their presence was so constant and demanding, I would always forget other people couldn't see the Shugo Chara like I could. I shifted my bag further back over my shoulder with a self-pitying sigh and finally reached the wrought-iron gates to my school.

And then nearly reeled back in shock.

There was a thick tension flowing throughout the air, an apprehension so strong it almost seemed as if an eerie black cloud drooped over the whole school and cast it under a spell of strain. The students worse expressions of anxiety and ferocity, all wild animals just waiting eagerly for small, unsuspecting vermin to wander within their sights to be devoured. They were clearly all revved up by the upcoming competition with not only each other, but also Mayosu Academy. At that moment, I noticed the first letter of each academy equated to S and M. I hoped that didn't actually hold any significance.

I stepped through the gates cautiously, almost like being mindful of not stepping on mines, and right near the entrance were my fellow Guardians, all jerseyed up. Kukai-kun looked totally at ease on his blue version of mine, all relaxed posture with his hands shoved in his fraying pockets, whereas Nadeshiko-san looked way too elegant to be caught in something to plain and understated. Yaya-san looked... well, like Yaya-san, but Tadase-kun just looked plain friendly and sporty and... all popular and cute-like, damn him. But each of them carried the same sort of rigidness in their shoulders, like steeling themselves for battle.

"Uh, hey," I called to them once within a reasonable distance. Each of them smiled, but it all looked like a facade. "What's uh, going on here? I know we're competing with Mayosu today and all, but I really didn't think it was that big a deal."

Kukai-kun actually laughed aloud, and I cut a glacial glare into him. "Hisayuki, it can't be helped since you're new," he began with an attempt to sling his arm around my shoulder, but I flinched away and it dropped, still not too used to overly familiar contact. "This whole rivalry thing is taken seriously by everyone, students and teachers alike. It's been going on ever since Seiyo popped up in the district when Mayosu was the most prestigious high school, but then we easily took that title and pretty much flaunt it in their face, what with the location and all. So now everyone's gunning it for each other, and whenever the two schools get together for any sort of event, you can always feel the sparks fly."

"I see," I said slowly with a nod. I thought stuff like that only happened in books and television shows, but who was I to judge. I had ice powers and three little fairies following me around all day. "I guess I'm even more surprised because you guys are all fired up, too. I expected you to be kind of like overseers in this mess."

"Normally, we would be," Tadase-kun amended, his usually gentle voice carrying a sharp edge to it. "But  _they're_ coming today, and we just don't know what to make of it. Last year wasn't too big of a deal, considering that  _he_ skipped out, but not I'm not so sure, what with you being a new Guardian and all-"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up," I interjected, holding up a hand for him to stop. He clamped his mouth shut and cocked his head to the side, curious. I ignored how the sun chose that moment to glint off his hair and make it shine in a golden halo, and pushed on with my question. "Who are you talking about? Do you have rivals or something in Mayosu?"

They all exchanged a wary glance.

"What?" I demanded.

"Well." Nadeshiko-san shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. "It's just that Utau Hoshina-chan and Ikuto Tsukiyomi-kun are students there and will be coming today. We thought you knew."

The words echoed through my head again and again, but they didn't properly register for a while. I was so frozen to where I stood that I had to check to make sure I hadn't used actual ice to freeze myself to the ground, then what she had said finally clicked. "So," I began, my voice bordering on hysterical. "They're coming here? Both of them?  _Today?_ "

"Yep," Yaya-san sighed, shifting her weight to one hip and resting a hand on it, a strangely effeminate and womanly pose for her. "We have to be on extra-super-guard-duty today, especially with the sudden rush of X-Eggs."

I hadn't even thought about that. All I could focus on was that Ikuto, infuriating, cold, lecherous Ikuto, was coming to our school today, participating in sports events, watching  _me_ perform sports events. The very thought of his intelligent cobalt eyes observing my every move brought the most intense shade of lust red to my face, and I felt even more mortified then than I had when instructing my class. No, even more mortified than when Mao came to visit me at Mary's house when we were fifteen and I had just been in my Hello Kitty pink and white-striped undergarments (and that got him a bloody nose from a vicious beating), with my scars completely exposed- oh yeah, and my boobs too. That was important.

And also besides the point. The last time I saw him, he had been horrible, breaking children's eggs in his pale, aristocratic hands like it was nothing. And despite the circumstances,  _I_ had been horrible for shamelessly yelling at him and punching him. Before that, he had carried me like some sort of princess, and touching skin-to-skin made me feel like I had been losing my very mind. He was evil and a jerk and a pervert and  _he was coming here today and it was far too late to turn tail and run now._

Officially, I decided that I most definitely was  _not_ happy about going to school today.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun said earnestly for what seemed like the tenth time that morning. The information about Ikuto and Utau-san's arrival had been me in a less-than-hospitable mood, and I wasn't really feeling up to talking. He must've assumed it was his fault for my shortcomings, which lead him to plead forgiveness many a time without a response. "It was just so natural to us that they'd be coming that I suppose we forgot to tell you. Please don't be angry."

There was a throbbing sensation pounding in my left temple, a sure sign of a headache coming on. The day was just getting worse and worse, but I didn't have to drag anyone down with me. It was horrible of me to make Tadase-kun feel like he had done something wrong, especially since all he had done since we had met was be nothing less than kind and considerate. I heaved a heavy sigh and shifted in my seat at the table in the Royal Garden, where we were preparing just before going out there and beginning the announcements, to look straight at him. His light eyebrows were drawn down and furrowed in worry and apology, his eyes expressing nothing but regret. And I hated that more than anything ever before. I was surprised to realize that I had such feelings of animosity towards his expression. It seemed to be the only way he'd ever look at me. I wish he'd smile naturally like he did for the others. I wish he could be happy around me.

It was my fault for making him feel so uncomfortable. More than hatred, I felt shame and repentance. I was always so rude and harsh not just towards him, but everyone, and that needed to change. They were willing to put up with me and I was more than happy to be with them, and it was about time I started showing it.

"I'm not angry at all," I assuaged, a gentle smile forming on my face. "I'm just not too sure what I should do now. Should I go about the day like normal, while keeping an eye on them?"

His returning smile was clearly relieved, and far more genuine than mine could ever be. I felt a pang of something sharp in my chest, almost like envy. "Yes, that would be best," he said, shuffling some papers he had pulled from his bag that were apparently the speech he was going to make as King welcoming Mayosu to our school and setting down the rules. "And if they pull anything, we must take action. We'll be counting on you again for that." He paused before sincerely adding, "I'm sorry."

I was my hand dismissively. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. You know, at first I was kind of iffy about this whole Guardian thing, but now I'm more than happy to help." The thought of how much had changed in so little time forced an almost hysterical laugh out of me. "I guess you influenced me the right way."

"No, not at all," he responded almost instantly, which took me by surprise. He had this look on his face I had never seen before, one that made him look older and more mature than he really was. It was thoughtful and intense, but kind all the same. "I think you're just naturally that way. From the moment we met and from then on it was clear that you were fair and just. It's odd," he stated suddenly with an almost embarrassed laugh, "but I guess I kind of thought you were like an angel."

When I didn't respond for a searing length of time, Tadase-kun caught himself and must've assumed he'd done something wrong. "I'm sorry, that sounded odd, didn't it? I didn't mean anything funny, it's just that the way you came in and took us all by surprise and essentially saved the Guardians-"

"No, no, it's not that," I said quickly, and I hated how my voice trembled. I just hadn't wanted to respond for that very reason. After he had given me such a compliment, my pulse picked up so quickly my throat seemed to close, and my face might as well have been burned to a crisp. "It's just... no one's said anything like that to me before," I shakily confessed, unable to look at him. "I don't know if all that's true, but... thanks anyway."

This always happened when the two of us were alone. We may have been friends, but there was always this type of barrier between us, one that shook and trembled with every word that was said. Then again, that was the same with me and everyone. But it was different with Tadase-kun. It was hard to block him out, to ignore him and hide what you felt. He was so open and honest you wanted to naturally do the same. It made me horribly self-conscious, being left with nothing to hide behind, no masks to throw on my face. My emotions were always stripped and laid bare in front of me. The barrier was cracking and shimmering in colours of rose, like the aura I always got when I was around him was... just happy. And embarrassed.

Then awkward silence would follow as we each stewed in our own feelings, both of our faces red. This was completely new to me, the feelings of bubbles or something filling up my chest and threatening to make me explode. I tried to focus on the scenery around us as we waited for the other three Guardians to take the attendance and report back. Despite the rapidly cooling weather, the flowers remained radiant and alive, the Royal Garden having a heating system that allowed the climate to be controlled. I heard the gentle flow of the stream, the sound of water sliding off of rocks, smelt all of the fragrances. It was humid, like a summer day, but pleasant enough.

I was jerked out of my reverie when Tadase-kun suddenly spoke again. "Um, Hisayuki-san?" He asked, his expression shifting between embarrassed but anticipating.

It took effort to, but I was able to drain the flush from my cheeks and smile pleasantly at him in return. "Yes?" I asked, wondering if he wanted a favour. If he did, I'd do whatever he asked. It was the least I could do for being such a pest all the time.

But he seemed  _really_  unsure about it himself. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, chewed his bottom lip. I cocked my head to one side, the smile still in place. What could he possibly be asking? He looked up from staring awkwardly at the table right into my eyes, seeming to come to a decision with himself that he was extremely determined about. "It's just that... do you remember last week, when you came to school with bed hair and Fujisaki-san brushed it out for you?"

I flinched from embarrassment at the memory. I looked like a ball of lint you'd pick off an old sweater. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well... this may be slightly odd to ask... but when she was doing that, your hair just looked really... soft," he finished all in short breaths, his pitch lowering and lowering as he went on. I blinked, and was about to say thank you, but then he asked something that made me freeze, ice or no ice. "So I was thinking about it, and I was just wondering... can I... touch it?"

I blinked again, more quickly this time. He wanted to... touch my hair? Because it looked soft? Good thing we were alone, otherwise I would've fled the scene from disconcertion alone. No one had ever asked to touch me so familiarly before, and it seemed like he was really intent on doing it. So I nodded rather slowly in response, the blush making an astounding reappearance. "Uh, sure," I mumbled, looking down at my hands clenched in my lap. "You can... touch my hair, if you want."

Thank God I had washed it last night. My hair was long, longer than normal, and was a real pain in the ass to care for, but I always made an extreme and dedicated effort to do so, because I myself loved it. My father would always try and style it when I was younger, which of course Mom was better at, and he told me that I should never cut it because it was so pretty and unique. That was pretty much lost on me when both of them disappeared from my life, and I had attempted an image change by chopping it all of to my shoulders.

It had grown back to its full length in a week and a half. The caretakers at the orphanage were more than speechless, and they said it must've been a sign not to try to mess with it. It was beautiful and had to be properly maintained. I had done so ever since, even if it lead me to fall asleep late or be tardy in the mornings. Thus I was relieved that I had done so all my life, as if the preparation was leading up to this very moment. My heart was jumping in my throat again, making it flutter and my eyes remain wide and irked. I visibly flinched in surprise when Tadase-kun's chair scraped back as he rose after a long stretch of silence, and my collarbone creaked and ached with the strain I was putting on my jaw by clenching it.

I felt his presence behind me, saw the shadow the sun cast against the table. My pulse raced and threatened to make me collapse. I was so distracted with trying to keep myself from fainting that I barely noticed when the weight of my hair had been lessened slightly, and Tadase-kun delicately held the length of my ponytail in his hand. But I noticed the slight tugs I felt when he pulled it gently, as he felt it through and combed it with his fingers. "It really is soft," he murmured under his breath, and I remained as still as a stone statue. It had been so long that I had nearly forgotten; my hair was my weakness. Whenever someone would play with it or pull on it, even lightly, I would virtually melt into a puddle and become a useless little thing. I shook with the effort of not completely relaxing and letting Tadase-kun hold it.

"White hair's so pretty," he said, almost to himself, but more like to ease the tension that was so thick in the air you could cut it with one of the knives on the table. "I've never seen anything like it. It feels so soft... just like fur..." He seriously needed to stop. I was about to spontaneously combust.

As if hearing my thoughts, he delicately smoothed it out one more time and placed the ponytail over my shoulder so it hung down and over my chest, then he peered around from my back and grinned at me sheepishly. "Thank you for letting me do that. It was fun." My brain probably exploded.

The other Guardians thought  _that_ would be the perfect time to come strolling and chittering on in, but they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Tadase-kun and I locked in a sort of intense smile and gazing contest, his hand resting on the table and the back of my chair, mine clutching at my knees.

Then Yaya-san started screaming and the moment was broken. "AHHHH! SNOWCCHI AND TADACHI ARE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER LIKE LOST LOVERS HOLY COW WHAT HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE GONE-"

"Seriously," Kukai-kun chortled, effectively cutting Yaya-san off (bless him). "You two should save that stuff for a more private setting. We know there is clearly some sexual tension there, but-"

He was stopped by a sudden and spontaneous spear of ice zinging right by his face. His expression still held a smile but melted into one of fear, as the other girls looked the same with with a mix of also being impressed. Luckily, no one had noticed that I had formed it in the palm of my hand from nothing; just that I had thrown it, from the way I stood panting with my arm extended and my face the colour of a firetruck. "You shut up!" I screeched, bolting towards him. He looked like he was getting ready to bust a gut and run, but instead I did something completely out of character; I ran straight to Nadeshiko-san and hid my embarrassed face on her shoulder, feeling like I had been doing something I shouldn't have.

She smoothed her hand down my back like a big sister, despite being younger than me. It felt nice; I had been without such caring human contact in so long that I felt tempted to all-out cry. "That's enough, Souma-kun," she warned defensively, resting her other hand on the back of my head. "No need to tease her."

"But it's so darn fun! Look at her, she's like a scared little kitten!"

"Remember that kittens have claws," I hissed against my friend's shoulder, though it came out more as a menacing mumble.

Yaya-san and Tadase-kun were simply laughing at the exchange and my reaction, but I could still feel the latter's touch on my hair as if it was another limb of my body, shooting little jolts of electricity all through my nerves and making me hyperaware. It was the first time all day that I prayed for a distraction.

And regretted doing so almost immediately.

Standing in front of a crowd was something I was never good at, and so I had always avoided to do so at all costs. But there I was, standing in front of about two thousand students, with such a fake smile plastered on my face that clowns cried for me. It wasn't easy to hide the fact that I was shaking, but I was able to by folding my arms behind me and across my back, generally standing like a soldier. I supposed that made me even more intimidating, because unfamiliar gazes kept returning to me despite Tadase-kun's speech to inform them of the rules, regulations, and to respect each other and the school otherwise there would be severe consequences.

The Mayosu students had arrived at eight thirty, unloading off of the traditional ugly yellow monsters of school busses in clusters of the dark colours of their school, simply black and royal blue. There were no gender differentiating uniforms, which was fine within itself, and their sigil of an ornate cross was over the left side of their chests- well, those who chose to wear them anyway. Upon entering our campus, their eyes were immediately alert and aware and ready for anything, and I got the significant feeling that I had  _really_ underestimated how seriously the two high schools took this competition. And being the center of all their attentive and malicious stares was not doing anything to calm my nerves at all. My heart wasn't beating as quickly as it had with Tadase-kun, but it was a close second.

Tadase-kun was speaking strongly and without a single hitch. He would've been considered such a magnificent public speaker, but those of us with the Shugo Chara sight could plainly see the ornate golden crown resting atop his head, meaning he had Character Changed with Kiseki. My eyes scanned the crowd, having already been through this speech many a time. I was shocked to find Deryn and Will within the swelling mass of teenagers, since Deryn's hair stuck out like a sore thumb. Will waved like an idiot, and I almost broke into laughter up there on stage. He really was so silly sometimes.

"For those of you who don't know," Tadase-kun continued, adding more emphasis to his voice and earning my attention. "We on the stage are the Seiyo Academy Guardians. We protect and help the students in whichever way we can, and also the Mayosu students so long as they respectfully stand on our grounds. If you need any assistance whatsoever, please do not hesitate to come find or ask for us. I am the King's Chair, Tadase Hotori." He gestured to each of the other Guardians in turn with their introduction, and we were lined up in order of our position and the status that came with such. "The Queen's Chair, Nadeshiko Fujisaki. The Jack's Chair, Kukai Souma. The Ace's Chair, Yaya Yuiki. And finally, our newest addition, the Joker's Chair, Snow Hisayuki."

My heart leapt even higher than before upon hearing my name, but I made no change of outward appearance, of which I was extremely proud. I would've broken into spontaneous dance then and there- you know, if it wasn't completely unprofessional. The eyes of the crowd, eager for action, scanned each of us when our name was announced, and when everyone's eyes turned to me, I still didn't lose face. My back remained straight, my hands behind my back, my face now erased of its smile, and stared right back at them. Little did they know I was screaming internally like a small child.

However, my composure managed to almost completely fall apart when I saw a certain pair of eyes in he crowd, despite the distance and number of people. When everyone moved their attention back to Tadase-kun, who kept speaking like a professional, Ikuto's gaze remained locked with mine, unflinching and sucking me in like a black hole. I tried my hardest not to glare, but it turned out to be in vain. My eyes narrowed and shoulders stiffened, watching him with eyes like a hawk. He continued staring at me, watching, not paying any attention to what was being said at all.

Then, very slowly and deliberately, he smirked and winked.

I felt so,  _so_ tempted to snatch the microphone from Tadase-kun and chuck it at his face just to wipe the irritating little smirk off of it. What the hell was his problem? You can't just act like a complete and total douchebag and then be all charming the next. That wasn't fair; it was just frustrating and made me want to wrap my hands around his pale throat and shake and shake and  _shake._  I tore my eyes away with effort, determined on kicking his ass in every way possible today.

Or so I believed. When the opening ceremony was finally over, everyone gathered in their predetermined groups that had been designated during the week according to their class and grade. I was the group leader of my first period English class, along with Nadeshiko-san, and we wore red ribbons tied around our heads to show it. I had a clipboard in my hands, which made me feel immensely official and superior, and I pretended to flip through it as I spoke, when in fact I had everything basically memorized.

"All right," I began, and was satisfied to note that my voice didn't waver at all that time. "I know I'm repeating this, but you have to listen just one more time to make sure you don't get into any trouble." I glared at one student in particular, Chiaki Yuzuhara, who had been the one to receive the previous punishment of not simmering down while we spoke. Admittedly, it was harder to remain still and calm with competition crackling through the air like electricity, and the beautiful autumn day, but he was just going to have to deal with it. "Our first activity starts at nine, which is in precisely ten minutes. In the morning, we start off with the easier sports, such as basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tug of war, ball toss, sack races... you get the point. Each event should last up to half an hour or more, all depending. There's an hour break for lunch and refreshments at one thirty, and festivities continue until five o'clock, and the day is effectively ended with a parade and the announcements of the winning classes."

I paused to take a breath in my long explanation, feeling incredibly proud of myself, grabbed a nearby tennis ball, and hurled it at Yuzuhara's head. He jumped and turned around to glare at me, mine returned just as fiercely. "Pay attention when I'm talking, unless you want a repeat of last time." He rolled his near-black eyes, but fully turned his body away from taunting nearby Mayosu students to focus wholly on me. "We will meet up here after each activity, right by the soccer field. You have time to get quick refreshments and prepare for the next activity, which you should all remember. You will be going up against both students from our school and Mayosu students, and you are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike manner." I paused again. "Yuzuhara."

He crossed his skinny little arms and huffed like an angry animal. "I already promised I'd be civil."

"I'm holding you to that. If there are any issues, health or otherwise, make sure to find either me or Nadeshiko-san." She had been standing quietly by my side, beaming ear-to-ear in the friendliest and most supportive way, and her presence helped me to feel more at ease. "If neither of us is nearby, go to the closest group leader or teacher. Try your best not to interact with Mayosu students outside of the competition- doesn't that seem a bit ridiculous?" I added, leaning closer to Nadeshiko-san to point the paragraph emphasizing  _no contact_ on my thick stack of papers attached to the clipboard.

She simply shrugged. "That's just the way it's always been. Just try to follow the rules to the best of your ability, okay?" She added sternly to the rest of the class, and they all droned a collective "yes" in response. She grinned in satisfaction and settled back into her original relaxed position.

I scanned through the papers one more time for show. "And... that should be it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask." Yuzuhara raised his hand, and I didn't bother to conceal my groan. "Yes?"

"Yes, I have a question," he said, and I twitched with barely-concealed irritation.

"I know that. What is it?"

"Say we wanna hook up with a Mayosu girl," he began with a waggle of his eyebrows, which in turn made the other students giggle. "Like, is that a thing, or...?"

I clutched the clipboard with such force it cracked. "Yuzuhara, I swear to God-"

Nadeshiko-san mercifully jumped in before I had to deal with anymore of his class clown bullcrap. "Strictly prohibited," she said with a sense of finality, which made him wilt like a flower without rain. "Unless you'd like to deal with Snow-chan's wrath a second time." Her eyebrows were peaked, daring him to talk back again.

He scrunched up his face and absently rubbed his ear at the memory. "I think I'm good, thanks."

I nodded. "Good. Then let's start getting ready for the first activity." I dropped the clipboard on the ground, informal and- quite frankly- uncaring, and held my hand out to the rest of them, palm face-down. "You guys ready?"

It was completely cheesy and unorthodox, and I didn't expect anyone to follow suit. I was new, bossy, and acted like I owned the place despite just becoming a Guardian. So it took me by a complete shock when the other students followed suit, Nadeshiko-san first, then more and more hands until we had a heaping pile. Yuzuhara was the last to put his hand on, begrudgingly at that, but he grinned over at me all the same.

In my sense of absolute giddiness, I beamed back at him, an excited flush covering my cheeks. I counted down to one from three, then said, "Let's go!" And we all through our hands in the air with a collective "Woot!" I felt so accomplished that I practically skipped over to the clipboard again, and received many high fives from my classmates along the way- all of their names memorized.

It was the first time I felt like I truly belonged somewhere.

Our first event was probably the easiest; the ball toss. Tall baskets made from bamboo towered over everyone under them, even people over six foot, and balls of red and white littered the ground to be plucked and thrown mercilessly. No one bother to stretch except for Nadeshik-san and I, just to be safe. We were up against a class from Mayosu first, which made me more nervous than I would've been, but I controlled my jitters and instead bounced on each of my feet, making my ponytail swing back and forth like the tail of a white mare. I heard the unfamiliar students snicker about "white hair" and the word "freak" floated around a bit, but I was able to ignore it. Until I heard one voice say it that was vaguely familiar.

High-pitched, nasally, and sounded like your classic mean girl. I cocked my head to the side, listening carefully. I knew that voice. I remembered it with great clarity because the first and only time I ever heard it was when Ikuto was present, and my memories with him in them tended to stand out more than the rest. I whirled around once I was able to match it with a person, and sure enough, it was the snooty blonde that had been chirping me a few weeks ago when I took her order at East Side. Of course it was. I just couldn't catch a break today.

"Well, well, well," she drawled, a slight, mocking laugh at the end of it. "Look who it is. I see you haven't become any less of a freak since the last time I saw you. And it looks like Ikuto's completely lost interest." I didn't know where he was, but I was just grateful that it wasn't anywhere close to here. This was getting on my nerves. "Poor thing. I guess that's to be expected though."

"Contact between Seiyo and Mayosu students is forbidden," I droned mechanically, showing her that no, she was not going to get a rise out of me. "If you had any amount if intelligence in that blonde head of yours, you'd be smart enough to listen to instructions to not get in trouble. Now get back to your team and don't bother me."

I was pleased to note that her jaw had gone slack, her venomous green eyes narrowed. Before she could come up with some "witty" comeback, I was marching back to meet with my group one more time, leaving her staring after my "weird" white hair. Yeah right. The weirder one was someone who didn't have enough self-restraint to compete fair and square and opt to make people feel bad about themselves.

We went over a strategy one more time- well, not so much a strategy as going purely on the offensive. Just get the balls and go, no matter what. I could already see Yuzuhara completely transform into a wild child and howl and crow and push people... ugh, he annoyed me. But he was admittedly a good player with all the energy he had. We were relying on him to do his best and bring most of the balls over.

We assembled into two opposing lines facing each other, the blonde girl catching my eyes and sneering. Her teeth were crooked, so I just flashed a brilliant, toothy smile in return. I could feel anger churning in my stomach, already heating up my body before the game had even started. But I had to squash it down and ignore it. I couldn't let anything get me angry. I had to keep myself in control, otherwise the playing field might be covered in ice before I knew it.

A whistle blew overhead, signalling the start of the game. Announcers were already blasting out play-by-plays as the crowds erupted in cheers, but all I could really focus on was the complete and utter madness swelling around me. People were jostling, shoving, kicking, colours of black, blue, and red mixing together like different blends of poison. I was no better, though, as I dove for shots of red on the ground whatever chance I got and chucked them overhead without really looking, still managing to get some in. Flashes of white kept whizzing by my face, the balls the Mayosu students were supposed to be gathering, and I had a slight idea why they would be doing that even though I was relatively far from the baskets.

"Yuzuhara!" I screeched suddenly, and his dark-haired head whipped around to look at me in return. He already had some flush to his cheeks and sweat beading out on his forehead, but he rushed over nonetheless. "What's the matter?" He demanded hurriedly, already scooping down and gathering another red ball.

After he had thrown it and successfully gotten it in, he was completely shocked to feel my hand suddenly wrap tightly around his. His already red face became even more so, as red as the crimson balls we were throwing willy-nilly, and he started to sputter. But he didn't have enough time to ask me what I was doing, for I winged him behind me and used him as a shield just as a white ball came flying through the air at full speed and beamed him in the face.

"WHAT THE HELL, HISAYUKI?!"He screamed, rubbing his nose as I let go and got another in.

"I didn't want my head to get hurt," I said simply, smiling sweetly at him.

"SO IT'S OKAY IF MY NOSE GETS NEAR-BROKEN?"

"Of course." I threw a smirk back at him as I rushed over to assist Nadeshiko-san. "I'm group leader."

He looked absolutely appalled, and I was quite proud when he merely shoved his nose once more and began scooping up balls again. Yuzuhara may have been annoying, but he was really dedicated and driven, so I had to admire him for that. But then I felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck, the sense of my skin crawling like I was being watched.

I chucked another ball in and turned my head slightly to glance behind me, the direction the stare was coming from. Granted, a lot of people were looking at all of us, but this stare felt more... intimate, somehow. Not as censored, like they were used to looking at not just people, but me specifically. I had to admit I wasn't surprised when I saw that it was Ikuto staring at me completely unabashedly.

I was, however, surprised to see that he was not just staring, but full-on  _glaring_ at me, as if I had done something wrong.

 _WHAT?!_ I wanted to scream whilst throwing my arms up in the air.  _WHAT THE HELL COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?!_ What did he have to glare at  _me_ about? It wasn't like I was the one who erased some children's dreams from existence.  _I_ wasn't the one that seemed to follow him wherever he went, disturbing shit all along the way.  _I_ wasn't the one who smirked irritatingly at the other, like I knew something he didn't. None of that was my fault; it was his. No one had ever frustrated me this much before, making me completely lose myself in simply thinking about them. I didn't even understand what was going on around me half the time. Why oh  _why_ did he just have to come today? He seemed like the type to skip this sort of thing!

To vent my anger, I scooped up as many balls as I could at once, throwing the red ones in the direction of the basket and the white ones viciously to the ground. Nadeshiko-san jolted in surprise at my sudden rush of anger, and she quickly asked what was wrong as I kept working away, my face looking as if it should'v been covered by the mask of a demon to hide its hideous expression.

"God I hate him but he's so hot," I growled, getting another goal. She did a double-take, and then it seemed to dawn on her who I was talking about. But before she could comment on it, the whistle was blown again, almost drowned out by all the cheers and screams, but everyone dropped what they were doing regardless.

Ikuto, however, did not avert his eyes, and I could feel heat crackle all along my skin, making it hyper-sensitive and aware. It was more intense than that morning with Tadase-kun, and that was saying something. All I really wanted was for him to just leave me alone. I didn't like feeling like that, so vulnerable and insecure, around someone who was my enemy. Even though he wasn't looking at me like I was his.

* * *

 

With a large, collective groan, all of the Guardians- myself included, of course- collapsed underneath a shady, towering willow tree whose branches dusted the ground, making a cage of nature around us. It was finally midday, the first half of the activities over, and while they weren't difficult in themelves, they were  _long_ , and Mayosu Academy students weren't to be underestimated. The crackling air of competitiveness that sizzled all throughout the day was almost a taste in your mouth, and I finally understood how much the two schools truly despised each other. Which didn't make sense, since the students themselves didn't have particular problems with one another.

Well, besides the Guardians and the two Easter employees. But that was more of a secret rivalry.

Ikuto- surprisingly enough- did participate in a few activities, which not only threw me for a loop, but the Guardians as well. They said he had never bothered to even show before, and wondered why he would now. As for the other employee, Utau Hoshina, she participated as well, both elegantly and standoffishly. Even Seiyo students gushed over her idol prowess and gorgeous appearance, while I stood off to the side and made weird, dissatisfied noises. She was a load of trouble, that's what she was. And a stalker to top it all off.

However, none of us felt inclined to discuss such matters at lunch. It was finally our time to kick back and relax for the first time in what seemed like all week, and we were using it to our full advantage. We took out our lunches like every other student and chowed down, gulping down water and juice along the way. I was lucky to have thought to pack my own lunch today; the cafeteria was most likely jammed with ravenous, anxious students looking for the free refreshments.  _Good call, Snow._

"Hey, Snowcchi," Yaya-san said, grabbing my attention when she pointed down at the salad in my lap. "Did you make that yourself?"

I blinked slowly, as if waking from a nice sleep, then smiled easily. "Yeah? Who else would?"

She and Kukai-kun suddenly buckled back in a melodramatic show of fake tears. Tadase-kun, Nadeshiko-san and I were left staring at them like they were being possessed, and they both looked at me like I was an abandoned kitten in a box on the roadside.

"How honourable!" Kukai-kun began, holding his fist to the sky as if to pump up the heavens. "You live all alone, go to school, work, and even cook your own meals! You're truly an inspiration, Hisayuki! I must learn of your ways!"

Thankfully, he fell completely silent when I threw a leaf of lettuce at him and it got stuck in his hair. Not only that, but he froze as well, like my ice had been attached to the green and channeled throughout his body. I nibbled on a cherry tomato with an agitated expression, saying, "Quit making fun of me, Souma. I'd like to see  _you_ fend for yourself."

Yaya-san wasn't as silent as her male companion, however, she had ceased the teasing and was instead busting a gut at his expense. He plucked the leaf out of his hair, glared at it, and popped it in his mouth and began to chew.

I made a face. "Ew."

Suddenly a crunching noise was resounding throughout my ears, and I narrowed my eyes at the source. It was coming from the fallen, crusty autumn leaves tumbling across the ground in a brisk breeze, Kukai-kun marching through them and causing them to crack. He grabbed a large amount, enough to capacitate both hands, and smiled at me.

The leaves were already being viciously tangled in my hair before I had even realized what he was planning. I yelped and growled and clawed for him to back off, but he and the rest of the Guardians just laughed heartily, and I soon found myself giggling along. My hair was an absolute mess of feathery white, scraping across my eyes with pieces of scarlet, orange, and musky brown caught in it. I looked like I had just crawled out of the earth or something. I could feel a mass of frizz on the top of my head, my ponytail coming loose, and I grumbled about having to fix it later as I picked up my pasta and continued eating.

"What, no classic Hisayuki trademark comeback?" Kukai-kun snickered, and I neglected to point of the salad dressing that still mussed in his hair. "How sad. You must have less guts than I thought."

"Oh, I'll get you back," I said between bites, smirking like a queen. "And you'll regret ever having messed with me."

"Ooh, I'm scared," he retorted in a mock version of my voice, which earned an over-exaggerated eye roll. Secretly, though, I was so glad that we were all getting along like old friends. My first  _real_ friends. Inside my chest was sunshine exploding over a dark horizon, though the outside merely picked at the scraps in her hair and shoved more food in her mouth, as was the usual. Nadeshiko-san giggled and offered to get it out for me, and I happily asked her to oblige.

She pulled out the comb she had used last time and gently pulled the elastic out of my hair, earning a sigh from me. I thought it had looked so nice today, and look what happened. She tugged each little scrap from my hair carefully, and combed it out like it was precious silk. It felt like the way a mother would do her daughter's hair, and I kept my expression carefully cheerful as I munched away at my food. I was getting better at this. It was easy to not let the things that used to eat away at me effect me now that I had distractions.

Clearly, my facade wasn't nearly as foolproof as I thought, for Tadase-kun changed his expressively joyful face to one of concern when our eyes met. I simply grinned and looked away, pretending to observe the students and making sure they didn't get into trouble. Instead, I found something that actually  _did_ grab my attention: Ikuto Tsukiyomi walking around the corner of the school, rubbing the back of his neck as if he was exhausted, and Utau Hoshina toddling after him like a baby chick.

Many thoughts began to flash through my head all at once, bolts of lightning crashing right into the pit of my stomach in time with the rapid beat of my heart. They knew each other? Well, I supposed that made sense since they worked for the same company. But they were close enough to talk beyond that? Was he uninterested in any other girl, like the blonde had said, because he already had a famous idol at his side? Did they work together to bring misery? Did they do it  _happily?_  As a...  _couple?_

I had no idea why I suddenly felt so furious. Maybe it was the fact that I assumed they worked together as partners to destroy X-Eggs or something along those lines. Why hadn't I expected them to know each other? And why was I so... I don't know, livid about it? It's not like it concerned me at all. I just needed to focus on stopping the both of them, and that was all. Regardless of whether they worked together or not.

Again I looked away, turning my back on issues that pressed and urged at my mind like an unsatiable itch. I smiled at my companions. "So, are you guys ready for the next event?"

Kukai-kun raised his eyebrows. "We should be asking you that. You  _are_ the long distance runner in the relay race, after all."

My spontaneous freezing had nothing to do with the ice inside of me.

All too soon, lunch break ended. My hair was fixed perfectly yet again, courtesy of Nadeshiko-san, and I was stretching in preparation for the long run ahead. I was the last runner in the relay race for my class, while Yuzuhara was first, then another boy named Amakawa, and after him was Nadeshiko-san. Yuzuhara and I exchanged venomous glares while we continuously stretched, electricity crackling across the field. In a way, it was kind of funny how competitive we were despite being on the same team. But then again, his very presence was like a buzzing mosquito to me, and I was telepathically shoving as much pressure on him as I could.

 _You'd better run like your life depends on it,_ I urge at him from across the field, the expression on my face causing others to back away.  _Oh, yes, you'd better. Otherwise I'll have no qualms with punching you in the mouth and making you eat your own teeth._ Normally I wouldn't be so violent and tempted to do so, but I was irritated ever since lunch time, and didn't feel bad at all about taking it out on him.  _Small villages will yield to my wrath if you dare try and play another one of your little gimmicks-_

My mantra was very suddenly interrupted by a sharp yank on my long ponytail that made me jump and squeal "Kya!" like a little girl. I whirled around, putting every bit of agitation I felt creaking in my bones into my glare, and nearly bolted out of sight when I saw that it was Ikuto still holding the end of my long white hair as if it was the tail of a cat, looking very amused and satisfied.

Pressing my lips together to conceal the hiss that already had formed on my tongue, I pulled it from his grasp and turned away from him again. "What do you want?" I demanded, attempting at nonchalance and failing. "Seiyo and Mayosu students aren't supposed to have any contact-"

"I just saw you around," he interrupted, making me even more on edge than before as I turned to narrow my eyes into slits at him, "and thought it would be rude if I didn't say hi." His mouth easily ran into the patented smirk. "Hi."

I nodded in return. "Yeah, hi. Now, thanks for pulling on my hair, it felt great and all, but you ought to return to your class. I don't want to get in any trouble, and you're bothering me." To be honest, I didn't want to talk to him at all. All I really wanted to do was focus all my negative emotions and the energy I felt when I was around him into thinking that he was evil, that he was the enemy, but it was gradually getting more and more difficult to with him towering over me like a melancholy shadow, his eyes sparkling in interest but also gleaming with a concealed solemness. My thoughts kept returning to how attractive he was, like a model in some advertisement for something stupid and manly like sports cars- I had no idea what I was talking about- and how he easily suited a pretty platinum idol with snapping byzantine eyes. And suddenly I was irate all over again, needing to release a deep, hot breath to calm myself.

"You don't mean that," he purred, tilting his head to the side so the sunlight made his eyes jump up and sparkle like stars in the midnight sky. "And besides, you're so fun to tease."

My jaw unhinged from my head- a pattern that I noticed was beginning to form whenever he was around- when he admitted to playing with me. Is that all this was to him? A game to bat his hands at like an uninterested cat, waiting to see if a dead mouse would wake back up and dance for him? Nuh-uh. I was not going to deal with that.

"Move it or lose it," I said, moving to step around him and having my way blocked by his chest. I had moved so quickly in my attempt to flee that my head bounced off of it, making my flinch away like he had burned me.

"Nah," he purred, leaning forward until he was eye-level with me, which was surprisingly a lot. My breath caught in my throat when I saw how close his deep, ocean-in-the-night eyes were to mine, and I could feel the ice trapped within my body begin to prickle all over my skin like frost. "I'm looking forward to seeing you run." His mouth twitched as if remembering some kind of inside joke. "It should prove to be... interesting."

I lowered my head so that my eyebrows were severely drawn over my eyes, in a sorry attempt to come off more threatening than I really was. "I hope you're not planning anything nasty."

He actually laughed in my face, and the ice that had once been crawling all under my clothes and over my skin seemed to melt at the sound of it. "Trust me, personally, I  _am_ planning something nasty." That was definitely an innuendo. Even I caught that. My face flushed so much I a firetruck looked at me with envy, but he pushed forward. "But that isn't exactly what I was referring-"

"Ikuto," another voice suddenly cut in, and the look on his face soured a tad, like eating a particularly tart lemon. I snorted at the expression, earning another tug on my ponytail as we both turned to see who was calling him. You could almost hear the sound of thunder crashing to the ground behind me when I saw Utau Hoshina standing there, hands on her small, hourglass hips, her platinum hair swinging in her high pigtails. She seemed more ticked than ever just then, and it took me a minute to realize that it was because of  _him_. Ikuto was more than likely a prime reason for her malice towards me. I bit my lip so hard I almost drew blood and scowled at him, but he only chuckled and muttered something like "here we go again". Pretentious jerk.

Utau-san marched right up to us, her uniform sliding over her curvy figure in a way that made the boys around us- except, oddly enough, Ikuto- drool. She stopped in front of me, almost the same height, and narrowed her eyes. "I don't see why a Guardian would be getting involved with and Easter employee," she practically spat, violet venom leaking from her gaze. I suddenly felt as though I was a mouse in the presence of a hungry snake, despite the difference in size. "Mind your own business. You're going to be losing soon, anyway, so don't bother trying to sweeten us up."

My eyebrows skyrocketed. "Oh really," I cooed, mirroring her position. "What makes you say that?"

Her nose was so high in the air I was surprised she didn't fall backwards. "Because you're going to be running against  _me._ And as if I'd ever lose to an Amazon like you."

What was with people and that cursed word? I wanted to strangle the person who came up with it. "We'll see about that," I snorted, suavely managing to keep face and get my bangs out of my eyes with a flick of my head. Ikuto's expression was definitely humoured now, his mouth formed into a full-blown (gorgeous) grin and his eyebrows almost reaching his hair line. I glowered at him. "All you do is bring me trouble," I hissed, and he actually started to chuckle again. "Why don't you just go bother someone else from your own school because your place definitely isn't beside me."

For a moment, I believed those words actually wounded him. His expression instantly went from amused to a face identical to someone who had just been slapped hard in the face. An apology was right on the tip of my tongue, though I didn't know why, but it was blown away with the wind left behind in Utau-san's wake as she rushed to his side and clung to his arm, making sure it was securely pressed against her chest. My hand extended towards him as a sign of good will dropped with my entire expression.

"Don't talk to him that way," she growled, gripping his arm even tighter. I was shocked that someone so aloof didn't just shove her off, but there he was, not even attempting to move her, but instead keeping his expression blank and letting her cut off his blood pressure. A wandering, blasphemous thought flew through my mind for just a millisecond, wondering how it felt to be touching him like that, but it was banished with the flare of my temper and her next words. "He's sensitive."

He clearly was not. He was humoured all over again and obviously enjoying seeing me stand there and get angry for reasons unbeknownst to me, and he relaxed more easily into his partner, which took even her by surprise. "Yeah, Snow," he tantalized with a voice as smooth as what his personality was turning out to be. "I'm sensitive." He planted a perfect modelesque pout on his face, and I actually laughed at the sight of it, though it came out more like an insulted scoff.

All at once, I was aware we had an audience. Students from both schools were discreetly circled around us, staring unabashedly at the scene before them. Utau noticed at the same time I did, and nonchalantly flipped her hair over her shoulder, while Ikuto never removed his gaze from me, seeming to be searching for something in my eyes that my voice would never willingly give away.

The intense and sizzling silence was suddenly shattered by a loud crunching. Kukai-kun was also standing a safe distance away with the other Guardians, who looked mortified, while he had his hand in a bag of potato chips and was mowing away. "Wow," he said around a mouthful, though it came out more like a yell with the volume he always spoke with. "This is  _way_ more interesting than last year!"

With a collective grunt of disdain, the crowd that had gathered parted, Seiyo students gravitating towards one end of the field, and Mayosu students the other. Kukai-kun blinked innocently, as if to say  _What did I say?_ , and I only swat him upside the head and kept moving. We were all moving towards our respective places in the relay track, which meant I was standing on the last leg of eight four hundred meters. On the track beside mine, Ikuto and Utau-san stood there, talking such low tones that I couldn't hear over the wave-like chatter of the crowd. Not that I'd want to listen anyway. He peeled her hands off of his arm and stalked over to where his school stood and cheered, meeting my following gaze with a grin. I looked away angrily and focused on the distance in front of me, practising breathing exercises as I stood and waited for the race to begin.

After a bit of pondering, I decided to shuck off the Seiyo Academy issue crewneck zip-up sweater and left in on the ground, meaning that left me only in the white short-sleeved tee shirt with red lines encirlcing the bottom and the sleeves. People gawked at me like I was crazy, but I knew that if I ran with it on, I'd definitely overheat, especially with the sun pounding down on us. Thank God I had chosen to wear a sports bra for this. That would've been a bad mix.

Utau-san glared at me like my temperature issues were my own fault, and I glared right back. The animosity she felt towards me was completely unnecessary, especially since the only way I thought of Ikuto was as an enemy. The energy that sparked between the idol and I was almost visible as charging lightning, and I could already hear Kukai-kun hooting from the crowd. Dumbass.

Just before the race began, my Shugo Chara floated over to me with grins on their faces, and I nearly panicked before remembering that almost no one else could see them. Satsuki came to float in front of me while the other two planted themselves on my shoulders. "We just came to say good luck," her small, helium-like voice said with a gentle laugh. "Deryn-san and Will-san said so as well."

My expression brightened at the mention of their names, and I dared a look over to the red and blue Seiyo crowd to see them standing near the front, looking right at me. Will started waving and cheering like a fool, while Deryn merely mouth-twitched again. I waved cheerfully- and, admittedly, embarrassedly- and she returned it by merely raising her hand. I turned back to look at Satsuki, then at Vivian and Lilith on my shoulders. "Thank you," I said with one of my first genuine smiles of the day. "I'll do my best."

"That's not good enough," chirped the irritating little red head, and my fleeting good mood was already chased away. "You have to  _win._  Especially against that idol." She jerked her thumb beside me to express who she meant. "She gets on my nerves, bitching at you for no reason."

Even though I knew they were, I checked to make sure my shoelaces were properly tied. "I'm sure she has a reason," I grumbled, not too enthusiastic to be covering for her. Why was I, anyway? She irritated me, as well.

Vivian snorted from the left. "Yeah, probably a stupid one. Well, we should be getting back. We'll never be able to catch up to you once you get running."

I glanced over at her, confused. "How would you know that? I don't think I've ever really run around you."

Oddly enough, the three of them looked as if they were caught committing a crime. They flinched in unison and rose to float away, and Satsuki seemed bizarrely nervous from the way her laughter began barking out of her. "Oh, you know," she said, clearly fumbling for an excuse. "We are part of your heart, after all. We, uh, know how well you can run from the, er, number of times you have over the years."

My eyebrows furrowed, since it was obvious they were trying to hide something from me again. But I heaved a sigh and let it go, since I had already realized that they really were only doing it for my sake. "I suppose that makes sense," I said, and they did a horrible job of hiding their relief when they gave a three-way thumbs-up. I had a Deryn moment when my mouth twitched into a small smile at their expense. They were pieces of the self I thought I had lost. I had to learn to put more faith in them.

They darted off only a few seconds before the whistle to start blew. It seemed everyone was holding collective breath for it, the strain in the air making everyone tense, and I looked back to keep an eye on the runners in the legs before me. And then, loud and clear, it blew. Then the entire crowd was screaming, hooting, and cheering for the runners that sprinted all through their legs. Yuzuhara was fairly fast and covered a lot of ground quickly, easily handing he bright red baton over to Amakawa within a minute or so.

He ran a tad bit slower than his forerunner, but still quickly enough to keep pace with the other runners. I became a tad bit worried when he handed it over to Nadeshiko-san, but she was able to keep up easily despite her earlier comments of possibly being the slowest in the class.

My heart leapt into full-throttle as I watched her run closer and closer to the place of handing over the baton between our two legs. I was already bending down into a starting position, preparing to bolt, and I saw Utau-san mimic my pose. We stared at each other momentarily in a sense of competitiveness before turning to look back at our runners. It wouldn't be long now. Every muscle and vein in my body was already running when Nadeshiko's sweaty hand slipped the baton into mine, and she panted, "Good luck, Snow-chan!" before I darted off.

Anything physical had always been a strength of mine, despite my laziness. Running came naturally to me, as natural as breathing, so I was able to remain completely at ease and dedicated as I kept pushing myself into a run. I blocked out all the noise around me, and the forms of the other competitors running almost alongside me, and instead focused on the feel of my sneakered feet pounding against the ground, each step rattling and pushing my body further along. My breath was evenly paced even as it turned into pants, and I kept pumping my burning legs along into a run even as my chest ached and my throat ran dry. For the briefest of moments, I glanced to the side to see that the only one really keeping up was- what do you know- Utau-san, her porcelein face flushed red and sweat beading out along her forehead. I turned my attention back to the track before me, pushing myself even faster. It was a good call to ditch the sweater; I was already severely overheating, and if I had kept it on, I would've collapsed from exhaustion a long time ago. Briefly, I wished that I could run in shorts as well to keep just a bit less warm. But it was too late for that.

I could see the red ribbon that universally indicated the end of the race rushing up to meet me. However, I didn't allow my legs to relent, and kept them burning and burning and  _burning_ until I felt as though I couldn't keep running anymore. But finally, I felt the push of the ribbon right against my midsection and charged right through it, though it wasn't alone. The loud, chirping whistle blew once again as the crowd erupted into more ear-shattering cheers... despite the fact that the race had ended in a tie.

Handing the baton over to Tadase-kun, who was standing by and ready to declare the winners, I bent forward and placed my hands on my knees, releasing hot and exhausted breath into the air. Utau-san was right beside me, her position nearly identical, using her sleeve to wipe sweat off of her forehead. I swiped sweat off the back of my neck and used my ponytail as a cooling device by waving it against me, and turned to glare at her. She was shooting daggers at me as well, and she panted, "No way that... was a tie."

"You're right... there," I wheezed in return, and we closed the small distance between us until our heads were practically smashing together in anger. "You lost."

"Hell no," she retorted, the heat coming from her body less overexertion and more anger. "You did. I touched the ribbon first."

"You did not," I hissed, about ready to grab her by the collar and rattle her.

"Ladies," Tadase-kun murmured, stepping between us and gently pushing me to the side as he followed. I noticed that he kept his hand pressed against my shoulder, which ignited more heat in that spot than the rest of me. "By all means, it really was a fair tie. You should be pleased you both came in first."

We both ignored him, huffed, and stalked away like children to our individual schools. Man, she was annoying. And a tie, of all things. I was obviously far too presumptuous by assuming no one would be able to keep up with me. Along with feeling awful for not winning, I also felt shame for just assuming I was the best and being let down. I'd have to remind myself not to get so cocky.

My walk was more of a stumble with my aching legs as I went towards Yaya-san and Kukai-kun, who were fanning Nadeshiko-san. Kukai-kun tossed me a water bottle, which I accepted gratefully and gulped down in one large swig. Other students milled by us and would pat my shoulder or my head or something and say, "Congratulations", though I could tell they were slightly disappointed for not winning altogether. I'd have to try way harder next time.

Just as I wiped my mouth with my arm to get rid of the excess water, there was a heavy smack right on my back that made me whirl around and snap my teeth. Yuzuhara, Deryn, and Will had joined the small gathering we had going on, with the former's hand extended, meaning he was the culprit. I was about to smack him right back, but stopped abruptly when he grinned a toothy grin and whooped, "You're awesome, Hisayuki! All we could see was, like, a flash of white! Even I'm impressed!"

Deryn nodded in agreement. "Me as well. You really ran your hardest."

Will, on the other hand, was practically dancing. "I'm so proud of you!" He sang while holding his hand up for a high-five, which I slapped dazedly. "We may not have won, but that has to be a new record or something."

"I may have to make you my pupil, Hisayuki," Kukai-kun muttered with such a serious expression that I laughed.

"I don't think I really want that," I said in return, but I was honestly ecstatic. They really knew how to cheer someone up. "I'm going to go to the locker room to freshen up. You coming, Nadeshiko-san?"

She shook her head, her inky ponytail swinging back and forth. "No, I'll catch up later."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself." Before I began heading off towards the locker room, I hesitated and looked at them with a red face that had nothing to do with being tired. "Um, thanks, you guys," I said, and quickly jogged away before I got a response.

After a run, it was good to remain in motion so your muscles didn't ache as much. I kept that in mind as my legs continued to burn with my jogging across the field and into the gymnasium, where smaller indoor events were set up and ready to go. Girl's volleyball was next, so female students milled about on the glossy gym floor in padding and uniforms. Some of them waved at me as I slowed my jog to a walk, and I waved in return. While I was embarrassed being known by practically the whole school, it was nice not being ostracized for once, and instead being accepted as one of their own.

I was overwhelmed with that classic locker room smell upon entering the room that mixed with girl's strong perfume and deodorant. I wrinkled my nose but headed towards my assigned locker where I had stowed my gym bag during my first week here, you know, when I wasn't so busy flipping out over the spontaneous existence of little eggs that just popped out from your heart. Taking a shower would've been pointless, considering I was just going to get all sweaty again so I just slicked off my tee shirt, applied some deodorant, and reached in the bag for another I had, just in case.

It struck me as odd when there was no small voices constantly pressing and pestering beside my ear. The girls must've still been with Deryn and Will. Maybe they were looking for me right now, and didn't know where I was. It'd be a pain to try and find them in this huge school, with a sea of students crashing everywhere I looked. I'd have to wait for them to find me. I heaved a sigh and shifted my weight to my right, and the reflection of the movement in the floor-length mirror caught my eye. Thinking it was a different person for a moment, I whirled around and covered myself with the shirt, then felt like a fool when I realized it was only my reflection. I laughed at myself and approached the mirror, trying to fix my bangs again. The dampness from sweating made them curl outwards into wings like they naturally did, and my attempt to smooth them back was a complete failure. I gave up and lowered my hands, and my almost-naked torso stared back at me from the mirror.

Admittedly, it had been a long time since I'd seen myself in full-length like that. A long time since I'd looked at my scars. Sometimes they were easy to ignore, since I never really wanted to look at them, but others it was impossible to. Whenever I felt insecure or scared, they would begin to ache, as if a knife was cutting me all over again. I blinked rapidly a few times, trying to get out of a daze, then gently smoothed my hands over their pink surfaces. Against my pale stomach, they were quite easy to see, but I had noticed they didn't appear in my Character Transformation. Maybe it was because the person I wanted to be didn't have such scars, and so the form I took on was merely an illusion.

They looked kind of like a game of tic-tac-toe on my stomach, and they also reached up my back like flames. It was because of all my thrashing and resisting when my mother had come after me, which was really,  _really_ stupid, in hindsight. Now they covered a lot of area all over my stomach and back in a clumsy yet precise way, done hastily but with the intent to kill. For the first time in years, I wondered why my mother had done it. Why she had wanted to make her own daughter scarred and bleed to death. But I shook my head clear of those thoughts, threw on my shirt, and sprayed on some body spray scented like vanilla. Before leaving the room, I tightened my ponytail one more time. Then I stepped out- and was swarmed by panicking girls about to play volleyball.

"Hisayuki-senpai!" Said the dark-haired one right in front of me, her hazel eyes round and pleading.  _Eeeee, that's the first time someone called me senpai!_ "There's been some kind of mistake, and someone forgot to get the volleyballs from the equipment room! Do you think you could please, please,  _please_ go get them for us?"

I really didn't mind doing that. But first... "Someone forgot to get the volleyballs... for volleyball?" I asked, eyebrows raised. I didn't think there was such incompetence at this school. Who does that?

My junior rolled her eyes with obvious disdain. "I know, right. Some people are just..." The red shade of her face implied she was way angrier than she let on, but she managed to let it all out in one, deep exhale. "Are just dumb."

"Sure, I'll get them," I said with a nod and smile, and she looked so happy for moment I'd thought she'd hug me. But she kept herself rigid and just saluted me instead, which almost was enough to make me laugh. "I'll be right back."

I probably had some time before the next event I participated in, but I still jogged over to Mr. Nikaidou, who happened to be the closest teacher standing by. Albeit begrudgingly, I explained the situation to him, and he smiled goofily at me before handing me the keys, and I was off. I turned the latch on the equipment room door and left the key hanging inside of the lock, and went to dig around for the volleyballs, the only light coming from the crack of sunlight peering in the door. After searching almost blindly with my hands, I found them wrapped in a netted bag, and carried them out the door. But before I could lock it up and head back to the gymnasium, a ball got loose and rolled away from the bag. I set it down outside of the door and bent to pick the other one up when I was roughly shoved from behind and landed face-down on the hard cement floor.

There wasn't a sound to be heard as I laid there for a moment, but then I supported myself only with my arms and whirled around to yell at whoever did it. However, the light that was in the equipment room was slowly fading out, being cut off by the closing door. In complete darkness, I rose and fumbled towards the door, but my heart almost stopped working when I heard the turn of the key in the lock, trapping me inside.

 _What the fuck?_ was my very first thought as I banged on the door with both of my fists. "Let me out," I said sternly, not near yelling yet but getting there. "Or I'll tell the teachers what you've done and you'll be sent home for the rest of the day and possibly suspended. I hope you're ready for that."

All I got for a response was giggling from the other side, which surely meant the culprits were girls from the high-pitched tones. "How can you tell on us... if you don't even know who we are?" All to be heard after that was more giggling and the crunch of gravel underfoot as they walked away.

I groaned and banged a fist on the door one more time while simultaneously rolling my eyes. I knew who did it, alright. It was the bitchy blonde and whoever the members of her posse were. I recognized that voice immediately, and only someone that petty and filled with jealousy would pull a stunt like this. She wasn't very smart, I had to admit, especially for picking a fight with me. I would wonder why they picked on me alone if I didn't already know the answer.

Turning around and leaning back against the door, I slid down it until I was sitting on the ground with my knees drawn up to my chest. The only thing I could do was sit there and wait until I heard someone walking by and then call for help. But I didn't think anyone would for a while, since the volleyball match was already starting. If anything, I at least hoped those girls got the equipment to the group that was playing. Just because they had some sort of issue with me didn't mean they had to make other, uninvolved people suffer.

Besides that, I had nothing to do to pass the time. My phone was in my bag tucked away in the Royal Garden, my iPod with it. It wasn't as if I could see anything to begin with. I attempted to wave my hand in front of my face, and while I felt the movement for sure, I saw absolutely nothing. That gave me a sense of being disconnected, which in turn made me feel insecure and impatient, making the scars begin to itch.

In the time since my Shugo Chara had been born, I had never been this alone except for sleep. They were with me almost every minute of every day, and whilst their presence could be annoying, it helped to reassure me. An aching in my chest was a surprising sign that I was feeling lonely, all by myself in this dark, enclosed space. That I missed them, even if it was only for a while. I felt my face heat up and I turned my head to look away, though there was nothing to look away from. I guessed it was just a habit of avoiding eye-contact whenever I was embarrassed.

I heaved a heavy sigh and shifted my position so my butt didn't hurt as much. This felt like something that would only happen in a shoujo manga. People were honestly that hateful towards one another. The thought made me snort as I thought of my mother again, her eyes filled with so much incomprehensible hatred and emptiness. Today had started out as relatively nice, but now it was taking quite a sour turn, especially with the past coming up from the deepest part of my memory and slapping me in the face. To ward it off, I tried to remember things that made me happy.

There were a lot of things in my life I had to be happy about, far more than the things I was sad about. Like when Mao apologized for making fun of me and my scars despite having the crap beat out of him by me. When we spent those times in the backyard of the orphange, ripping up grass from the lawn and mixing it with mud when we played 'House' and I was his wife making him a "delicious dinner". I remembered I honestly expected him to eat it, and was very disappointed when he didn't. To compensate, he ate one of the caretaker's prized tulips, and she yelled at us for half an hour and put us on time-out. I remembered when Mary and Jack came to adopt me, simply because they thought they were unable to have children but wanted one anyway. Their home was filled with the warmth mine used to have, with their smiles and comforting hugs I had longed for. They lived just above the bakery they owned and worked at, so there was always a smell of sugar, flower, and even cinnamon. I remembered when they were completely astonished to find out that they were actually going to have twins, even when they thought it was impossible. When Theresa and Nate were born, I remembered feeling that I was going to be disposed of. Because they had their own children now, who could easily fill my place and be a real part of the family. They didn't have freakish white hair or blue-ringed violet eyes. They weren't as pale as untouched snow. They didn't have scars all over their bodies.

That sense of insecurity violently rushed back all at once, and my heart pounded in my chest harder than it had in the relay race. I blindly clutched at my chest in an attempt to slow it down, and I squeezed my eyes shut, which didn't really change anything. If anything, it made things worse, for the images of my childhood played out on the backs of my lids, of being excluded at school, of feeling unwelcome at family gatherings, of being all alone in a hospital room without shedding any tears. Just wondering why. Why I had been left all alone.

I clutched at my head, trying to make the stupid images go away. They were all in the past, and didn't matter now. I wasn't alone anymore. I had the Guardians, and my Shugo Chara. But even they kept things hidden from me. Even they didn't fully trust that I was mature enough to handle whatever they had to tell me.

The telltale sound of high-pitched cracking began resounding in the room, meaning that my emotions were getting out of control again. Ice was starting to form right beneath where I sat, and soon it would spread throughout the entire room without my being able to stop it. Even if someone came, I'd be frozen in here forever, my time frozen in the past and my body cloaked in my own ice. I'd be imprisoned, and no one would ever be able to save me.

Everything- including the ice- suddenly came to a halt when I heard a shuffling on the other side of the room. I gulped in the most bizarre, frightened-animal noise and started shrieking, memories of  _The Grudge_ rushing back all at once. While I kept thinking of dark, frightening phantoms crawling out from the ceiling in a pool of black hair and demonic expressions, a tennis ball suddenly came flying right at my face and into my forehead. I winced and rubbed it tenderly, and started yelling obscenities at whoever- or whatever- did it, even while I was still scared.

"Shut up," hissed another, deeper voice from the room, and even though I couldn't see them, I recognized it as well as I had the blonde's outside.

 _Are you fucking kidding me._ "Ikuto?" I asked, squinting into the darkness. "Is that you?"

"The one and only." He finished the sentence with a large, groaning yawn, and I glared at the place where I heard his voice coming from.

"You... weren't sleeping, were you?" I demanded, and I got a snort for a response.

"Not like there's anything better to do here." There was a shuffle as he must've set himself into a sitting position. "Now, what are you doing in here? If you wanted some alone time with me, all you had to do was ask."

I scoffed. "Of course not. Your little fan-club decided to play dirty and shoved me in here and locked the door." My eyebrows drew down as I thought of something. "How did you get in here, anyway? The door was locked."

"I'm a cat," he simply said, and even I was beginning to think that was the truth. "I have my ways. And no one else bothers to come by here, so it was the perfect place to nap."

"I don't get you," I grumbled as I readjusted my position again. I had momentarily forgotten my little episode and the ice result of it, and slipped on my own-made phenomenon, which got a loud scraping sound and the bang of my head hitting the floor.

Iktuo was clearly trying not to laugh. "What happened?" He asked, his voice a higher pitch than usual and small snickers coming through. "Are you okay?"

"What do you care." I tried picking myself up off the floor and slipped again. "I just... tripped. It's not like I can see anything."

"Seriously, all you need to do is ask for my company," he chuckled, and I was about to retort when there was a single, rectangular beam of flourescent light in the room. He was holding up his cell phone, which meant he could see me lying face-down on the floor like an idiot. "There, is that better?"

"Don't mock me," I quipped as I reached my hand out towards non-iced floor and pulled myself to my knees. I shook out my hair and checked my face for any indication of wounds. There was a bump forming on my forehead. "You threw a ball at me," I accused as I kept touching it tenderly, and I realized that if he was still unable to see me, I probably would've been able to form some ice to put against it to make the swelling go down.

"You woke me up," he shot back, and I saw his shadow shift into a more relaxed position. His one knee was drawn against his chest while the other stretched out, one arm extending the phone and the other resting on the floor. I wondered how he could be so at ease around me, an enemy, and realized that it was because he didn't see me as much of a threat. My face slipped into an angry pout as I sat cross-legged and blew out an angry breath that ruffled my bangs.

"So," I said slowly. "We're locked in here together."  
Even though I couldn't see it, I could  _feel_ him grin. "Yeah, we are. Why don't we make the most of it."

"Don't think so." It was getting easier to put off his innuendos. Why was he hitting on me, anyway? He already had an overly possessive girlfriend who had no problems with clinging to him. I became even more irate than before and started to braid my ponytail to get my mind off of it.

"You should come sit closer."

"Hmm, I wonder why that seems like a bad idea."

"Seriously. I won't try anything. Plus I'm cold," he added for good measure, and I could see a shiver that didn't look entirely fake.

"I'm probably no better," I muttered. "Even though I can't feel the cold, that doesn't mean I don't  _feel_ cold, you know?"

I thought he shook his head. "You're not. Just come here."

"No."  
"Then I'll go over there. There's no sense in backing away, so stop it. You'll just run into a corner and be trapped."

I stopped my edging away and glared at him. "Stop sounding like a really experienced kidnapper."

"I would if I could."  _I hate you so much._ "I don't get why you're hesitating so much. You have no reason to be afraid. Besides, I think being together in a small space is better than being alone."

I raised an eyebrow, even though he might not have been able to see it. "Of course you'd think that way." And of course he didn't understand why I was hesitating. I didn't want to be close to him. He was my enemy, and I didn't particularly enjoy sitting that close to anyone. My thoughts were completely dashed when I looked up from staring at the ground and saw him right in front of me. On all fours, as if he had just crawled over, holding his cell phone next to his face, and staring right at me. My heart seemed to pummel down to the pit of my stomach when I stared into his eyes that were so close I was almost going cross-eyes, with the way the light reflected in their near-black surface and seemed to smolder like blue flames.

"Why did you suddenly get all red?" He asked, inching closer still with a smirk forming on his face.

If I thought I was overheating during the relay race, I was sorely mistaken. I had no choice but to look away from his persistent gaze and could only stutter, "Y-y-you're not s-s-supposed to bring your phone h-here."

He actually laughed at my expense, which made me both completely mortified and angry. "Right. I'll turn it off then." He did as promised, plunging the room into complete and utter darkness.

After a few moments of being suffocated by the pitch black room, and being pestered by his presence  _right in front of me_ that emanated nothing but warmth, I mumbled, "Turn it back on." The screen lit up again, showing me that his smirk had become a toothy grin.

"That's what I thought," he said, and retreated back to sit against the wall where he had originally been. He raised his eyebrows at me, beckoning me over, and I hesitated once more. But then I slowly crawled over and sat next to him, maintaining an obvious distance. His eyebrow raised, but he remained silent, thankfully.

"How did you get locked in here, anyway?" He asked, settling more comfortably against the wall. He had returned to the position I saw him in originally and didn't bother making eye contact, which was fine with me. I'd rather not look into his again myself, of having that feeling of my heart completely stopping in my chest, almost like... enchantment.

I shook my head clear of the idea viciously and didn't bother concealing my bitterness. "Like I said, some girls that seem to have a problem with me walking on the same ground as you shoved me in here and locked the door. We're stuck until someone walks by."

"What a thrill."

"Shut your mouth." I didn't care if he was being sarcastic or not; the low tone of his voice still managed to make heat rise to my cheeks. "You'd better hope you just had a break when you were sleeping in here and not skipping out on an event. You'll be in trouble otherwise."

His mouth stretched into another wide yawn. "Doesn't matter to me. This is the first year I've really done something like this. It requires more effort than I usually give."

And so the recurring question of why he chose to participate this year and not any others popped up again. "Why are you doing it now?" I asked, still not making eye contact. I tried to direct my thoughts away from his warmth beside me, from his lithe form that made my hands clench into fists, by thinking how I wanted to let my hair down. I didn't like having it up too often. It left me feeling too open, to exposed.

But the distraction failed miserably when I began to wonder why he was taking his time answering. When I finally let my gaze travel over to where he sat, my eyes widened in surprise to find that he looked slightly troubled. "Dunno," he said, and I groaned at the noncommittal response. "Maybe I thought I could stir up some trouble."

I responded immediately without even looking at him. "I wouldn't let you," I said. "Whatever X-Eggs you tear out from those poor kids and want to break, I'll stop you. That's  _my_ job."

"But it's not only that," he interjected suddenly, making me flinch. "You have your own reasons for wanting to purify them, don't you?"

Our gazes met for the first time since the last, and neither of us tore away. His expression was blank while mine was narrowed and suspicious. "So do you," I said, and the only change in his face was his eyes blinking quickly. But it was enough for me to know I was right. "You have your own reasons for working for Easter."

"Touché," he murmured, and my breath caught. I was shocked to find out how relieved I was to hear that, at how my heart settled into such a peaceful rate. He wasn't completely evil. He was doing this for a reason, whatever that reason was. The darkness that had previously clouded my vision of him began to filter away, bit by bit. Idly, I wondered if it would one day clear away completely.

"I'm tired," he groaned, and I snorted.

"I can tell."

"I have an idea."

Suddenly I was inching away from him again. "I don't want to hear it."

"Oh, but I think you do. See, I'm  _really_ tired..."

My mantra of "No, no, no, no..." seemed to go completely unheard when I was eventually backed into a corner, like he prophesized, and he crawled right after me, a smile breaking out on his face like a cat finally cornering an evasive mouse. My heart fell into a completely panicked frenzy, but then stopped suddenly when his side pressed against mine and his head fell on my shoulder.

I immediately tried shoving him off, but he wasn't moving. "Get offa me," I hissed, my dialect forming more from embarrassment than anger. I had never, ever been that close with a boy before and it seemed to be giving me severe organ failures. "I'm not yer damn pillow!"

He only nuzzled further onto my shoulder, and I sucked in a completely shocked gasp. There was a small click as he turned off his phone again, and we were plunged into darkness once more. That only made me feel all the more suffocated, completely smothered by the feel of him pressing up against me. Was it normal to feel this way? To crave more touching from another person? There was this squirming feeling in the pit of my stomach, one I had no idea what to do with, but all I knew was that I had to get him off of me. I felt like crying, like screaming, the feeling you get when you're about to charge at full speed down a huge drop on a roller coaster. He was so warm, despite his earlier claims of being cold. His hair was soft, softer than I'd ever imagined a guy's to be, and it tickled my neck so gently I froze.

"Lemme sleep," was all he said, but it was enough to make me attempt to shove him off again.

"Stop it!" I quipped, sick of not being able to see anything and being left alone with my thoughts and feelings. This was ridiculous. Why was he making such obvious attempts to tease and flirt with me when he already had someone else to do it with? Someone who wasn't his sworn enemy?

I relented with a massive groan and hissed, "I hate you."

"I know," he murmured, his voice more gentle than before. It frustrated me that I couldn't see his expression, because then I would've known that just because he sounded sad didn't mean he really was.

"Why can't you just sleep over there? As a matter of fact, why do you have to sleep at all?"

I felt him shrug against me, which made a rush of lightning ignite in every vein. "I'm tired? You're far more comfortable than the floor, obviously, but..."

His hesitation piqued my interest. What could've been wrong? What was it about me that made him uncomfortable? I didn't see why it should've bothered me, but it ignited my concern. "But what?"

"You're getting a bit hot, don't you think?"

"GET OFFA ME!"  
"Nah, I'm staying. I didn't say it was a bad thing."

But I was. I kept shifting uncomfortably against his head, and he kept grunting at me to stop it. I couldn't help it. The pressure of his head on my shoulder, the very presence of his body so close to mine, made me feel uncomfortable... but not in a bad way, which was the worst part. In a self-conscious way. In a way I shouldn't have been feeling towards an Easter employee who had shattered people's dreams in front of me.

Yet I did.

How could it have come so easily to him? To look so blank as he did it? He must have done it often to craft an expression of such...  _nothing_. That bothered me even more than witnessing it. What was really going on with Ikuto Tsukiyomi? Why was he doing this right now, especially when he should have been making every attempt to stay away from me.

"You smell nice," he whispered, his voice smothered and amplified in a different way by the darkness. The comment made me flush, and I nearly slapped myself for feeling grateful that I had put on body spray.

"It's vanilla," I said flatly, shifting again.

He ignored it. "Did you know that the scent of vanilla is a libido enhancer?"

Never in my life had I shoved someone so roughly before. But all it did was exert a laugh from him as I flushed and fumbled for a response. "YOU'D BETTER SHUT YOUR FREAKING MOUTH!"

"I like your reactions," he explained simply, completely nonchalantly resting his head on my shoulder again. "They're like the sea. They're so calm sometimes, but when provoked by changes in the weather, they roar up and make people scream." When I was stricken into horrified silence, he added, "It's funny."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop it," I grumbled, but I couldn't deny it either. He was right. But I had never had such large swings in my mood before. He really  _was_ the type of person who could crawl under anyone's skin and make them squirm.

"Not a chance." I just sighed at his response, and moments of silence ticked by in the darkness. Slowly, very slowly, I began to actually feel comfortable the way we were, with his right leg, arm, and his head pressed against me. I felt... at ease. I noticed I hadn't once thought of everything I had earlier, the things that made the ice explode from me like a time bomb, simply because he had distracted me so well. And for that I was grateful.

Very quietly, so much even I had to strain to hear him, he whispered, "Snow."

The sound of his voice muffled by the darkness made me feel the need to shiver, but I held it back so he didn't feel it or my weakness. "Yeah?"

"Why do people have dreams?"

The question shocked me for a very long time. What right did he, one who took dreams away from people, have to ask me that? Why would he even want to know? And what made him think I knew? Because I didn't. I questioned why I seemed to have remaining dreams every day. But the question was still entirely valid, considering the entire Shugo Chara mess we were involved in. I surprised myself by relaxing against the wall and him, distracted yet again. Why  _did_ people have dreams? What purpose did it serve? Why were they there if they never seemed to work out?

"Probably because people need something to believe in," I murmured.

I felt him smile against my shoulder.

And then I heard his breathing slow and fall into a more relaxed state. He had actually fallen asleep. I didn't think it was possible for someone to do that so easily, but there was living proof right next to me. And my eyes began to suddenly feel heavy as well, as if an invisible weight was pressing against them. I felt so serene, so much warmer than I did sleeping all by myself in my near-empty apartment. Maybe this was what it felt like to have someone sleep beside you, like your parents or a close friend. Completely comfortable, and... safe.

My breathing lulled into a more relaxed pace, matching with his perfectly. I had been up rather late last night, worrying over today. But now that those worries were virtually meaningless, well... it was easy to fall into a short cat nap, especially with one sleeping trustingly beside me.

* * *

 

The awakening was quite rude, especially since the light suddenly burned into my eyes.

I rarely ever felt completely groggy, but right then, I wanted to roll over and shut out everything and fall right back into a dreamless land of serenity. The pressing warmth beside me made that all the more tempting, as did the feeling of silk against my cheek. But then my mind actually began to work. Light? Silk against my cheek? What was going on?

The door was open.

I gasped and wrenched myself awake to find that my head had fallen against Ikuto's in my completely uncalled for nap, and he didn't even budge. He still slept soundly against me, warm and comfortable. And above me was all the Guardians gawking down at us.

"W-w-w-wait," I stammered, trying to get up but weighed down again by the heavy teenager. "This isn't anything, I swear. We were just locked in here together and-"

"Snowcchi," Yaya-san hissed, sounding horrified but intrigued all at once. I looked up in shock to see that she was blushing. "You're so bold."

"No, nothing really-"

"What's... going on..." groaned Ikuto's deep voice from beside me, and I shoved him off again, succeeding since he was still weak from sleep. "Just when I was having a nice dream, too..." His eyes opened groggily, and the scarlet afternoon light streaming in through the door made them seem almost violet. Then they blinked in full awakening and he just said, "Oh."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "Oh."

Tadase-kun was absolutely livid. He was shaking so much I thought his skinn form would shatter. "Just  _what_ is going on h-"

Before I could say anything, Ikuto was standing and walking off. "It was me," he said, rubbing the back of his neck the way he did when I first found him. "I trapped her in there with me to get some Guardian secrets out of her." The other Guardians around me gasped and glared at him, but I was shocked into a cold, foreboding silence. What was he saying? That wasn't what had happened at all! "But she ended up saying nothing at all, and we both just fell asleep with nothing to talk about." He threw a smug glance over his shoulder, his smile made from the most freezing of ice. "She sure was warm, Tadase. Try not to be too jealous."

And then he walked so far away from me he only became a shadow.

Tadase-kun visibly calmed down once he had left, his shoulders mellowing out and his expression turning to concern. "Are you alright, Hisayuki-san?" He asked me, his voice tender, along with the hand he rested on my shoulder.

No, I wasn't. There must've been something wrong with my expression, because all the Guardians suddenly looked worried. I knew that it was completely blank, as closed off as the fortress of ice inside of me. I had a feeling why he had lied like that, why he had changed so much from the guy that kept teasing and snuggling against me in the darkness. He was covering from me, so the Guardians didn't know how comfortable I had been with him, an enemy. So they didn't become suspicious of me.

He was only playing the bad guy

I smiled at Tadase-kun and said, "I'm completely fine. He really only asked me questions. He didn't do anything." The less I said, the less obvious it would be that I was lying, that I was secretly reaching my heart out to wherever he had gone. It was the first time ever that I wanted to talk to him, to hear his voice and sort everything out. I wanted to tell him what I already knew all too well: playing the bad guy only made everyone suffer. It provided no benefits, despite what he thought.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes gently so not as to smudge my mascara.

Kukai-kun grunted and checked his watch. "Almost four. We have one more event and then it's the finale." His gaze when from concerned to the familiar, mischievous one I knew all too well. "Speaking of, Hisayuki, we have a favour to ask you."

I hugged myself in a suspicious shiver. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

 

_Stupid._

Ikuto Tsukiyomi could only continuously curse himself as he sat in the bleachers of Seiyo Academy's state-of-the-art indoor pool, caved in on himself in misery. What had he been thinking? He was so convinced that Snow Hisayuki was his enemy, was someone who he should stay away from at all costs, but anytime he saw those mysteriously coloured eyes of hers, it was hard to resist feeling a gravitational pull. She only dragged him down from the throne of thorns he rested comfortably upon, but he didn't particularly mind. What he minded was that he only made her bleed.

"Uwah," said his companions, Touma and Keigo, from either side of him. A hand clapped harshly against his back, and he tried not to lash out on his friend for annoying him when he was already repeatedly hitting himself. "I've never seen you so visibly depressed, man. Did something happen?"

"Chin up," Touma said, as spirited as the wily black hair on top of his head. "This is the Girl's Swimming Relay! You should be freaking psyched!"

His voice was muffled from having his head in his hands, but Ikuto murmured, "Do all girls smell nice?"

Keigo glanced at him in suspicion, since he was used to his friend being uninvolved with members of the opposite sex, but answered regardless. "That tends to be a trend of theirs, yes."

"Do they all have really soft hair?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"Are they all soft?"

"What the hell, man?" Touma was shivering in something like fear now, clutching his at his arms. "I've never heard you sound so into girls before. If this was anyone else, I'd think they'd just come back from a make-out session."

 _I wish._ He immediately chased the thought away from the fiery recesses of his mind. No, he did not wish that. He was just agitated, was all. The feeling would pass soon, as it always did when he left her. He would return to feeling numb and cold, passing the days as just another dreamless figure in the streets.

Yoru, his cat Shugo Chara and only trustworthy companion, snickered from his shoulder. "Utau would definitely be mad if she knew you were getting turned on by another chick."

Ikuto's friends saw him merely rest his hand on his shoulder and start rolling it as if to chase away an ache, but in reality, he was smothering someone who was getting too annoying to handle.

The last of the students filed into the chlorine-smelling hall, each individual murmur evolving into a roar of excited voices eagerly awaiting the result of the last event. Ikuto kept repeating to himself that it was almost over, that soon he would be back in his home that might as well have been empty and away from the strange heat he was unused to feeling, and the idea stuck in his mind and gave him a sense of ease. Of the usual distatchment he felt. He was able to rest easily again, his posture returning to one of uninterest, even as the females clad in school-issue swimsuits filed from the locker room and some of the other guys around him hooted and hollered.

But then he saw a shock of pure white hair against Seiyo Academy's telltale red swimsuit and he wanted to throw himself out of the window.

They had to be kidding. Another girl was said to be in the lineup. But sure enough, Snow Hisayuki stood on the wall of the swimming pool, hands over her chest and weight shifted to one hip, looked irritated and begrudging. As if she had been forced into that. Whispers of what had happened- the other girl being injured in another event- flowed and rushed around him, as did irritating comments on all of the females. His leg bounced impatiently as Touma commented on how strange her white hair was, on how nice her legs were, and he attempted to drag his gaze away.

But something caught his eye as she idly flicked her hair over her shoulder.

Instead of irritated, he became curious. The school swimsuits covered as much skin as possible, front and back. However there was a slight dip in the fabric so they wouldn't be too inhibited from swimming, which allowed some insight to her pale, almost pallid back. Its pure white colouring made the two jagged lines of pink stand out spectacularly, and he was suddenly at a loss for words.

He knew what those were. Those were scars.

But why did she, of all people, have them?

They were on her back, so they couldn't have been self-inflicted, unless she was like a contortionist (which was both frightening yet fascinating at the same time). That could only mean that someone had intentionally wounded her, even if the aged looked of the scars implied that they were from long ago. Which meant they were inflicted when she was a  _child._ Even though he knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but feel undeniably  _angry._ It wasn't his place to be so possessive, as if wounding her body was like wounding his own, but he couldn't help it. Every part of her, from her small shoulders to her soft hair the colour of ethereal snow, seemed so gentle yet fragile. Just like her unwavering electric violet eyes, there was a core of defiance and rebellion in her, but it lost to the kindness of her gaze. Someone who would want to hurt that fleeting, dream-like existence was no better than the demons the reverends at his school preached and warned about.

Keigo elbowed him in the side, and he managed to remain completely stoic and expressionless as he elbowed him back. "It's starting," his friend said, but all he could really focus on was Snow's expression.

She looked nervous. Frightened, even. There was no sign of that courage and determination she had during the relay race. Her tall, almost too-skinny body was rigid, a hunk of ice amidst the excitedly flushed, summer-like competitors. She had on a showy smile, but it was clearly wobbly and twitchy. Her eyes were steely, even from a distance, looking more blizzard blue than violet. The swimmers crouched into their dive-ready positions, looking completely professional in their swim caps and goggles, but Snow went without either. All of her hair probably wouldn't have fit in a cap, anyway, so she just kept it tied up, the way it was earlier.

The telltale whistle that signaled the start of the race trilled through the air, turning the hushed conversations into hooting roars of cheers and excitement. Keigo and Ikuto remained silent yet attentive as Touma stood and hooted at the girls flying through the air like winged fish and delicately splashing into the crystalline water.

Even Touma had to admit that it was hard to cheer for their own academy when they saw Snow Hisayuki in the water. It looked as if the water's persistent consistency meant absolutely nothing to her. She flew straight through it all in a flash of white, her arms resurfacing like the blades of a wind turbine to pull her through. The coruscating surface of the water lit up against her body like a slip of translucent silk. It looked almost as if she was completely a part of it, with the way she moved in perfect sync with its rushed waves.

No one could remember the last time she came up for air.

Before anyone could bat an eyelash, she was pushing off the opposite side of the pool and shooting her way back to the starting point. The whistle was tweeting again as she touched the starting wall before anyone else, signifying both her class and Seiyo Academy had won the swimming race. She didn't bother waiting for the other competitors to finish; she clambered over the pool's wall and collapsed on all fours, her back heaving with laboured breath. Light tinkling sounds resounded through the air like the teasing of fairy bells as droplets of water slipped from her body and hair to the ground, as if turning solid before they fell.

Tadase Hotori materialized at her side out of nowhere, gently pulling her up by the arm, oblivious to his clothes rapidly wettening. Ikuto felt that detestable twist of envy curl up in his chest, but remained seated, fully aware she would never let him get so close to her again even if he wanted to. He crossed his arms to try and prevent the incessant twitching in his hands. It helped only a fraction.

However, it proved to be futile when she flashed a sharp-toothed white smile at the younger blonde boy. He released her arm but remained notably close and returned the gesture, leaving Ikuto to twitch and wonder how the hell he could stand in front of her like that and not let his eyes go astray. He knew for certain that he didn't have that kind of self-restraint. Maybe that was his problem. Tadase was a saint, and he clearly was not. He blew out an exaggerated breath that sounded more like a laugh, which earned his friends' attention.

"That Guardian chick is good," Touma commented oh-so-helpfully.  _Like I didn't know that already,_ Ikuto thought in response with a roll of his eyes. "Good-looking, that is." He twitched. "I wonder where she came from. She's too... I dunno, Albino-ish to be from here." As if hearing the comment, her head swiveled over to glare in our direction, and he shut up with a nervous grin.

 _New Orleans_ , Ikuto remembered idly, which didn't make too much sense, either. But it didn't really matter to him. She turned his life into a flurried snow storm from the moment they met, regardless of wherever she fell from. He felt sorely tempted to laugh at the joke, but it was meaningless without her there to scowl but attempt to hide a smile at the same time.

At that moment, she smoothed her wet bangs back from her face and laughed at something Tadase had said, which made her big eyes sparkle and Touma fan his face as he stared unabashedly at her. But he missed what Ikuto didn't even need to squint to see. She was laughing to cover up how scared she was. He knew because her eyes were almost  _too_ big, and she was shivering, despite earlier claims of not being able to feel the cold. It was possible she was afraid of the water, but was unable to turn down an oppurtunity to help someone injured.

 _"Whatever X-Eggs you tear out from those poor kids and want to break, I'll stop you. That's_ my _job."_

It definitely seemed like something she would do.

Ikuto blinked slowly, almost tiredly at her, observing in a way only a cat could. She was interesting, if nothing else. A walking contradiction. And she  _really_ got on Utau's nerves, which would be prove to be more entertaining than anything.

Staying away from her was pointless, it seemed. She always seemed to find him instead, whether it was by coincidence or because she was interfering with his work. And besides, those being smothered by darkness naturally attracted to the light. He might as well stay and play for a while, since the invitation was so... tantalizing.

"Whoa, Ikuto's smiling," Touma gasoed from beside him. He leaned in closer, a slightly lustful flush covering his cheeks as he scanned each swimmer emerge from the water and towel off. "See something you like?"

"Yeah," Ikuto murmured, his smirk growing. "I do."

* * *

 

I hated the water.

People probably thought the exact opposite when they saw me swim, flashing before their eyes and away before they could barely see. I was a natural with the water, as I had been ever since I was a child. But that was only because I couldn't wait to be out of it. It was more than mere contempt that I felt towards it, it was unfiltered fear. Not fear of something mundane like drowning, of losing your breath and being completely aware that there was no way you could escape the prison that made you slowly sink. No, it was more than that.

It was the  _feeling_ I got whenever I dove in. The feeling that, the second I broke through the surface, the water and I were one entity. Of belonging, of never wanting to resurface and face the day again because I could live in it forever. To me, it actually felt possible to become a part of it completely, to lose a physical form altogether and just float along. And that frightened me more than anything, the thought of not being in control of my own body, of having it whisked away from me. Even in pools, I would always envision phantom hands made from the very water I was in stretching out towards me, readying to drag me down and never release me from its depths again.

Not to mention that I could feel the water solidifying into ice around me.

When I clumsily threw myself out of Seiyo Academy's turquoise pool, reeking of chlorine that made my nose scream for help, every droplet of water that slicked off of me had formed into teardrops of ice before hitting the ground. Now I had even more reason to be afraid. None of the comfort I felt with Ikuto earlier that day was with me then. Not even when Tadase-kun helped me up and worriedly asked me if I was alright. I could only force a smile and lie.

I must've been a master of false bravado, though, since I was able to remain calm yet enthusiastic during the small parade and winner's ceremony. Though Mayosu students were filled with nothing but bitterness with the announcement of Seiyo Academy's overall win, and my class' win within it. There was uproarious cheers and cries of rejoice, and the prize was my greatest dream made real: free cafeteria meals for a month. Yuzuhara was in tears. "Manly tears," he'd announced as he wiped them away.

Afterwards was drinking. And by drinking, I meant Sprite and Coca-Cola was passed around to everyone who wanted it by the Guardians and teachers. Everyone cheered and toasted like it was the lottery, and no one felt the least bit tempted to try and slip any alcohol in with all five Guardians lurking nearby. We had stationed ourselves under the same shady willow tree we had at lunch, with a picnic blanket this time, watching all the other students and making idle conversation as the sky quickly began to glow in lights of red and gold.

After the swimming race, I had let my hair down to dry without getting all kinky. It tickled my face as the refreshing autumn breeze blew through the grounds and made the trees leaves quiver in a comfortable swishing sound of nature. It was nice to see every students aglow with excitement and accomplishment, regardless of whether they won or lost. Laughter was all that was to be heard around the campus, and for the first time, it felt like all the stress of the week had finally bled away into the moments of the gorgeous sunset glowing over the horizon, beyond all of the tall buildings to be seen from the top of the hill Seiyo Academy was stationed on. Everything had been set ablaze with nature's light, even my own smile. My heart was filled with a swelling warmth that could only mean one thing: true happiness.

Despite everything, no X-Eggs had been released that day, either.

...Then why were Ikuto and Utau-san even here?

I let more Coke slide fizzily down my throat to cool my rapidly heating face. I would never, ever,  _ever_ admit to it out loud, but... I was the slightest bit glad that they were. It made things all the more fun and interesting, and... Ikuto may not have been as bad as I originally presumed. My positive mood was cooled down a bit when I recalled how he had made himself into even more of a bad guy for my sake. Why had he done it? Why not just let me take the fall?

 _Because that's how he shows his kindess,_ a small voice in the back of my head whispered. My mouth twitched into another smile, warmer than before, when I realized how much of a bullseye that probably was, regardless of whether or not he was my enemy.

To shake my mind off of it, I unfolded myself from my cross-legged position and stood with a cat-like stretch. "I'm gonna patrol around a bit," I told the Guardians after a short yawn. "Just to make sure no one's getting into trouble."

Kukai-kun lifted his Sprite in a toast to me. "All the more power to ya, Hisayuki."

I grinned at all of them. "See you in a bit."

The yellowing grass swished underneath my feet as I practically skipped around the campus, glancing left and right to make sure nothing was getting too out of hand. I waved at those who greeted me, and thanked every "congratulations" I received for my class winning the events. The good vibe I had going must've been rubbing off on my Shugo Chara, because they seemed to be playing games of their own, flitting around and giggling like very miniature children.

"Did you guys have fun today?" I asked them, my voice muffled by the plastic cup pressed against my lips.

"Yeah, lots!" Lilith squeeled, wheeling through the air with a happy face that strongly resembled an emoticon.

"But it wasn't as fun without you there," Satsuki sighed, her little lips slipped into a pout. Even her pigtails seemed droopy in disappointment.

My heart stuttered and swelled at the looks on their faces, like they had actually missed me for all the hours we were apart. "You're the cutest things ever," I hissed, crushing the empty plastic cup in my hand from being overwhelmed by their adorableness. After a moment of contemplation, reflecting on everything that had spun and twisted my mind in the sports equipment room, I added some words that I hadn't said in years: "And I love you guys."

There was a moment of stunned silence as they all stopped in midair and I hurried my pace, embarrassed with the completely unfamiliar words coming from my mouth. But then all three of them were hugging my face and near-sobbing, saying, "We love you, too!"

I felt even more filled with joy than ever before to hear those words. We were all giggling together, almost like a family, as we rounded the far left corner of the school, the one that showed the walkway that lead to the Royal Garden. But then I completely halted my pace and ducked behind the wall as soon as I saw the three people that stood there, a completely unlikely bunch that, for some reason, I thought would never cross paths.

All of us were hushed as we observed the scene unfolding before us, Ikuto slouching against the red-bricked wall as Deryn and Will stood before him, Will completely at ease and smiling while Deryn seemed rigid and the sunshine made her hair glow completely gold. She was staring him down hardcore and he looked right back just as blankly. I blinked innocently, wondering what on earth they were talking about.

"You're funny," Deryn said, which made me whip my head in her direction with shock written all over my face. "You're probably the type of guy who thinks he's just a bundle of danger that only hurts those whoever gets near him. But in reality, you have  _no idea_  of how dangerous what you desire actually is."

Ikuto raised his eyebrows, looking both confused and amused. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"Her."

He didn't seem to need any indication of who she was talking about, but  _I_ did. But it wasn't like I could just pop out and demand to know who they were talking about, especially since I wasn't supposed to care, anyway. His expression turned from being interested to sardonic. "What makes you think that?"

"She's my friend," Deryn explained, her gaze completely headstrong and boring into him. "I know. And I saw the way you looked at her during the race."

Ikuto just kept firing her questions back at her, whether he really wanted to know or if he was buying time beyond me. "How, exactly, was I looking at her?"

Deryn pondered for a moment. "You look at her the way I look at William," she said finally, indicating the tall boy standing beside her. "Like you want to treasure her more than anything... but also like she's something to eat."  
 _"D-Deryn,"_  Will gasped, his face turning as red as the setting sun. "You aren't supposed to say stuff like that out loud. I'll get embarrassed." Ikuto looked kind of disgusted as he watched the two of them get all shy around each other, and I imagined that my expression was quite similar. They really should've saved stuff like that for when they were alone.

"Shut up or I'll suck you dry," she said back, completely point-blank.

Everyone's jaw was shot off from their heads. Even Ikuto looked astounded at what she had said, his eyes wide and mouth slack in shock. Will, on the other hand, just giggled like a sheepish little girl. "That," Lilith hissed from beside me, her face matching her red hair, "was the biggest innuendo I've ever heard."

"That wasn't an innuendo," Vivian choked back. "She just  _said_ it."

"I'm leaving," Ikuto said abruptly, turning in the opposite direction with the most bewildered expression on his face. I almost laughed at how much it didn't suit him, but tried to remain as quiet as possible so no one would know how embarrassed I was just to be hearing this conversation.

"Wait," Deryn called, and he stopped, his back to her. She placed her hands stubbornly on her hips, but her mouth screwed up in the way that indicated she was trying  _really hard_ not to smile. "I suggest you be careful around her. Sometimes she can get a little  _too_ cold. And even though you don't know us, trust us when we say that you're getting in way over your head."

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" He asked, a breeze blowing through his hair and making it seem more blue than black in the sunlight.

She shrugged. "Like I said, we're friends. And there are lots of things in the world no one can understand." For the first time ever, I saw her mouth screw up into a haughty smirk, as if she was referring to herself. "Things beyong even your all-mighty comprehension, and they're bloodthirsty for thrills."

He was silent for a long time, remaining completely still as he seemed to mull over what she said. "I'll keep that in mind," he finally muttered, and stalked off to be alone again.

Which left me standing with my back against the wall, more confused and befuddled than ever.


	11. The Wrath of the Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians make an excursion to the outskirts of Akutetsu, where they encounter an unlikely victim of an X-Egg. Snow feels even further alienated from her friends when they visit a Shinto shrine and she is left at the mercy of beings she had never even imagined before.

**Chapter X**

_**The Wrath Of The Gods** _

"Be more gentle," Lilith scolded, looking like she was about ready to rip all of her hair out and shove it down my throat. "Like cradling the neck of a newborn baby, not snapping it in two!"

My jaw fell slack, and I dropped my outstretched hands. "That's horrible! How could you even think to make a comparison like that?!"

Her golden eyes snapped and flickered beneath pure crimson lashes, a fire with excessive amounts of gas being added to it. "It's not my fault that you can't handle things delicately! Try again! If you ever want to be able to control this, you need to learn how to control yourself first!"

"Alright, alright, already!" I snapped as I raked my bangs away from my face and aggravation. I had done as such so much throughout our lesson that my French braid was in a horrid dissary of white, sticking out in every direction like a snowflake. "I got it. Stop pressuring me." When she glared at me after that last part, I looked away and pretended I hadn't said anything.

Vivian and Satsuki heaved synchronized sighs from the modern glass coffee table as they watched Lilith trying to teach me how to control my ice abilities on the Sunday after the sports' festival, clearly as frustrated with me as she was. It was immesenly difficult to go about controlling something you didn't even understand, like a person with schizophrenia trying to maintain a calm environment at all times and relaxing into who they were. Actually, "control" might've been too harsh a word; it was more like she was trying to teach me new ways to formulate the ice, as if she was trying to get me to accept it rather than get rid of it. Well, that wasn't happening. I hated to be stubborn, but I couldn't take yet another oddity to make things even more difficult than they already were.

"Try it again," Lilith repeated, her voice more gentle this time. "I know it's hard, but this is for the greater good."

"Remind me again what exactly I'm supposed to be doing," I emphasized, slapping my hand on the table twice. "I can't know unless you're precise."

She rolled her eyes heavenward, then they came to rest on me again sardonically. "Like I don't know that already. Alright," she began, showing me what to do with her own hands, "extend your dominant hand forward, with your palm facing up. Keep it as straight as possible, but make sure it's not tense. It needs to be relaxed, to be gentle to get the effect we're going for."

I obeyed the first set of instructions, sliding a slightly suspicious glance down to her small figure reflected on the glass table. "And what effect are we going for, again?"

This time all of them rolled their eyes- even Satsuki. "We're trying to create you," she said.

I blinked.

"Snow," she explained with a heavy groan. "We're going to try and create snow- or snowflakes, more like. If we tried to just make outright snow, we'd probably need to be shovelled out of the apartment."

"I resent that," I quipped, swivelling my head to glare at her. "I can't be that out of control."

"You have no idea," she hissed, closing her eyes in frustration. It slightly got on my nerves that she was acting like she was so much older and mature than I was- when in reality she had been born only about three weeks ago. I slipped my lips into a frustrated pout, but she completely ignored it. "Let me say this: this power of yours didn't come from nowhere. It's been lying dormant inside of you for your entire life. The more you try to repress it, the worse it becomes to try and control it. It may seem impossible but..." Her golden eyes darkened to the shade of amber, simmering just underneath the surface as if being melted. "Your power, it... it kind of wants to be released, you know? The more you prevent that from happening, the more it pushes against you until..."

She didn't even need to finish. The power would keep pushing me until I wouldn't be in this unstable state anymore; I wouldn't be able to control it at all. I imagined sitting in the Royal Garden, surrounded by the people I cared about, cheerful and without a care in the world, and suddenly they were cloaked in an impossibly thick layer of ice that would keep them eternally frozen. I shivered, as if it was already trying to break out.

It was difficult for me to think that I've had this power for my entire life. Why did it manifest now, of all times? Why not when I was a child, and even more incapable of controlling it? Especially since my emotions were so irregular back then. It didn't make sense. Maybe it was only happening now because I needed a reason for self-defense; I was all by myself in this city, without family or anywhere to run if things turned awry. It made sense... but somehow left me with a sense of insecurity.

"Are you listening?" Lilith demanded, snapping me back into attention. I smiled innocently at her, and she rolled her eyes again. "Pay attention! Okay, now that you have your hand in the right place, focus on positioning your body just right. Puff out your chest and strain it- no, you're just making your boobs pop out." I snorted, but inhaled a deep breath and forced my torso to be rigid, as if keeping something captive inside of me. My chest immediately began to ache from forcing it so much, but Lilith was nodding in approval. "Good. Now breathe deeply, until you can feel it absolutely fill your lungs to their capacity."

"I don't see how this is helping me make snow," I said skeptically, but followed her orders, nonetheless.

"You'll see. Be patient."

"I don't want to hear that from you."

Her calm, sensei-like tempermant finally snapped. "DO YOU WANT TO LEARN OR NOT?" She screeched, her red hair actually flying loose from its bat clip and flying everywhere like splattered red paint. I maintained my position even though I felt oh-so-tempted to burst out laughing. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH, THEN! NOW TENSE UP YOUR HAND AND SPLAY IT AS IF YOU'RE FORCING SOMETHING OUT OF IT!"

Vivian and Satsuki actually did burst out laughing at their sister's frazzled disposition, and even I had to snicker as she huffed and puffed like an angry, tensed-up cat with its fur sticking on end. However, I did try what she told me to do, remembering to try and be gentle. This was supposed to be a snowflake, after all. They melted just from touching someone's hand as they drifted from the sky in a silent, hypnagogic fashion. Trying to make one from nothing, well... it seemed impossible, let alone increasingly fragile. But I had to try.

Without needing Lilith to tell me, I tensed my hand along with the rest of my body, as if I was physically expelling something from it. In a weird sort of way, it kind of felt like trying to make yourself throw up, but when I splayed my fingers wide, I could feel something. When I thought of snow lazily drifting from the sky, blanketing the world in nothing but white, I got lost in the fascination. Each and every snowflake was different, piling on top of one of another to make patterns on the ground so intricate that no unaided eye would ever be able to see them.

Suddenly, it felt as though a wound had opened right on the palm of my hand, and even though I knew it wasn't real, it felt like blood was pooling inside of it and covering my hand in its warm, sticky liquid. Sparks of heat kept igniting all along the nerves of my fingertips and palm, and I was almost afraid to open my eyes, which I had closed in concentration. But when I heard all three of the girls suck in a collective breath, I dared a glance at what was happening.

The second my eyes opened, they widened in a stricken kind of wonder. I did it! It was small, and intensely fragile, but there were tiny sparks of translucent blue twinkling on my fingertips and palm like tiny stars, seeming to float right up from my skin. A teeny white snowflake followed, its pattern looking like an elegant spiderweb dragged down by condensation, but it was there, twisting and twirling off my skin as if it had been resting there my whole life.

I couldn't help it. "Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh," I gasped, fanning the hand that wasn't holding a small miracle in it on my face. "I did it ohmigosh look it's a widdle snowflake!"

"We see it," Satsuki squealed, her voice turning into excited little giggles. Mine quickly followed as I dared to move my hand slightly, leaving the sparkles to drift to the ground and leave little frost patterns wherever they touched on the floor that evaporated soon after. More snowflakes drifted up from my skin, and I was sounding more and more like a very small and excited monkey by the second.

This power frightened me. I was afraid of being unable to control it, of hurting people with it. But it felt as if a whole new world had opened up to me at the same time, one of ethereal snow and triumph. It was beautiful, and trembling, wavering in front of my vision like a dream, but it was there. As much a part of me as my unique eyes and vividly white hair.

I twisted my palm so it faced outward, and even more little snowflakes flew out from it, a miniature blizzard right in my apartment. I kept sucking in breaths that sounded like the yelps of puppies, flushing with excitement and smiling like a child that had made the biggest discovery of their life. My Shugo Chara flew up from the table and went to go twirl around in it, making the entire scene seem like a tiny, airborne dance.

Vivian was shivering. "It's cold," she chuckled, clutching her rabbit to her chest. "It's real snow, alright."

Before I could start outright screaming in pure delight, there was a brisk knock at the door.

Everything fell apart as if made of glass. I jerked out of my focused position and the snow stopped falling, melting into a small puddle on the floor. I quickly grabbed a throw pillow and threw it on top, too rushed to grab a towel, and the girls floundered about as they tried to dry themselves from the melting snow.

I was rushing to the door before I could even think of who it may be. Since I had moved here, I hadn't gotten a single visitor, a sad but unavoidable truth. In a way, it felt kind of nice to be wrapped in complete solitude like this, with only my little housemates to worry about, but I couldn't deny the excitement I felt wondering who it could've been. My heart began to flutter, and I stopped right before the door to smooth back my hair and make it look like I hadn't just been doing something so uplifting it felt like I had become enlightened.

I poked my head just outside of the door in case it was someone who I really didn't know, and said, "Hello?" Only to find Kukai-kun's face peering into mine with a smug grin. My face contorted into shock as he ripped the door from my hands and invited himself in, the rest of the Guardians following close behind.

"Wh-wh-what are you guys doing here?" I stammered, closing the door behind them.

"We wanted to see what your place looked like!" Yaya-san giggled, bouncing around the glossy wood floors. "It's so nice! Like a desinger cataloge!"  
"You have really good taste," Nadeshiko-san agreed, picking up one of the light blue throw pillows with floral brown stitching.

"Well thank you," I muttered, flushing slightly with the compliments. "But seriously, what are you guys doing here? It couldn't have been just to hang out."

Kukai-kun deftly avoided the question again. "Did you know they have a freaking indoor pool here? And a games room, too! Why the heck didn't you tell us?"

I leaned against the wall by the door and sighed. "That stuff costs a membership, and I'm not gonna bother if I just work and go to school all day."

Tadase-kun smiled at me, though I noticed it seemed kind of melancholy. "You work hard all the time," he murmured, leaning on the wall next to me. My heart began thundering in my chest when I noticed we were eye-level, but he still had the figure of a guy. "It must be hard."

"It's alright," I said with a smile. "I was the one who wanted to live alone and still go to school. I wouldn't have done it if I thought I couldn't handle it."

He chuckled, and made my face burn bright red when he placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair slightly. I should've been annoyed that he was treating me like I was younger than him, but I really didn't mind. "What a good girl." Okay, now I was slightly annoyed that he was talking to me like I was some pet.

"Anyway, there was a reason that we came here," Kukai-kun continued, making himself right at home by parking his butt on the couch. "Today is the Guardian's meeting of the week."

Of course I had remembered, but... I was taken aback slightly by what he was suggesting. "You want to have it here? You should've called me! I would've cleaned up a bit!"

All of them looked at the perfectly meticulous apartment and asked, "Clean up what?"

I crossed my arms and huffed. "You know what I mean."

But Kukai-kun just laughed it off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The thought was tempting, but no, we weren't thinking of having it here."

My eyebrows crinkled. "Then where?"

"The weather's really getting colder," Tadase-kun said suddenly from beside me. "We thought that, before it isn't warm anymore, we should go out for a picnic or something. As a belated sort-of celebration for your becoming a Guardian."

My grin broaded as an excited flush livened my cheeks. "A picnic? Really?" He nodded, already smiling back. "That does sound fun! But how will we get there?"

A snort sounded from the couch. I rolled my eyes towards Kukai-kun, who was smirking like Tadase-kun during a Character Change. "I can drive, Hisayuki," he said.

"What?!"

"No need to sound so surprised." Now he just looked offended. "I have a liscense and all. The truck may be a bit shabby, but..."

"A bit shabby?" Yaya-san demanded, her carrot-coloured eyebrows peaking. "That thing's a piece of crap. I thought we were gonna die on our way over here."

"Shut your mouth," he hissed back. "Loretta is beautiful and works like a champ."

He glared over at me when I started laughing. Through my snickers, I asked him, "You named your truck Loretta? How awful is that?"

"Not at all, thank you." He settled further into the couch, tucking his arms behind his head. "Do you want to go or not? I doubt Loretta will feel like driving you if you're just going to be a bitch about it."

I rolled my eyes yet again. "Yes, I'd love to go. I still wish you would have told me in advance." My mouth slipped into a pout. "I would've made something."

"Who needs homemade when we've got store-bought?"

My gasp sounded like that of a dying animal's as I reeled back in shock. "How dare you?" I demanded. "You have no right to say that here!"

"Nobody expects you to make us lunch," Tadase-kun chuckled. "You work yourself too hard as it is. It's fine to treat yourself just for the day."

I bit my lip and winced when he said "make lunch", for it reminded me of something. "You know, I actually may not be able to go." When his brow wrinkled in concern, I tried to explain. "You see, I already promised-"

With impeccable timing, another knock sounded at the door, this one almost hesitant. I looked at them apologetically and went to receive my newest guest, who I had already known would be coming. I opened the door fully this time, allowing Lee inside without needing an introduction. He smiled at me, adult-like but charming at the same time. "Hello, Miss Snow," he said as he stepped in. But he dropped the pretense when he saw that I already had four guests who were staring at him like google-eyed amphibians. "Oh, was I interrupting something? Sorry, I can-"

"No, no, it's okay," I laughed nervously, gesturing him to come inside. He obeyed, but his steps were careful and measured, like he didn't trust any of them. "They were just inviting me out for a picnic."

"Oh!" He looked at me with an apologetic smile. "Please feel free to go! I don't want you to miss out on fun times with your friends on my behalf."

Kukai-kun seemed to have gotten his voice back, for he leapt up from the couch and demanded, "Hisayuki, is this your boyfriend?" Tadase-kun jerked at the word and looked at me pleadingly, and I instantly felt guilty and the need to explain.

"Of course not!" Lee and I said at the same time with identical red faces. "This is my next door neighbour, Lee," I murmured, and he waved half-heartedly in response. "I said I'd make him lunch today, because apparently his cooking skills leave much to be desired."

His broad shoulder shrugged underneath his black vee-neck sweater. "What can I say," he chuckled nervously. "I've never been one of culinary prowess."

"We can wait!" Yaya-san cried cheerfully, her smile blindingly bright. "It shouldn't take too long, right?"

"Yes, of course," Nadeshiko-san agreed before I could say anything. "It's our fault for coming here unannounced, after all."

"Is that alright with you, Hisayuki-san?" Tadase-kun hedged gently, giving me plenty of freedom to say no. My heart swelled at the hopeful look on his face, his deep burgandy eyes sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the bay windows, and I knew I was already sold.

"Sure," I grumbled, looking away so I didn't have to get lost in his eyes anymore. "Make yourselves at home." As the rest of them whooped enthusiastically, I almost missed the look Lee was giving me while I was turned away. He was looking at me with something like disdain in his eyes, as if the response I gave had been a mistake.

The four Guardians clustered together on the couch and started watching television with all of our Shugo Chara chittering on the table, and Lee and I gathered in the kithen as I cooked. He took a seat at the island, dwarfing the stool beneath him, and began to chuckle. "Your friends seem very lively," he said, glancing over the half-wall that separated the two rooms at the TV.

"Yeah, I guess so," I muttered, pulling out the ingredients for kielbasa with peppers and potatoes from the fridge. Then I couldn't help but giggle slightly as I thought of the sports festival, the ballet recital, basically everything we had been through in the little time we'd known each other. "We haven't known each other for very long, but..." I turned to look at him, flushing slightly and glaring a bit reproachfully. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

He nodded, looking eager and attentive.

I tugged on a piece of loose hair beside my face. "They're the first real friends I've ever had. And I want to treasure them more than anything."

Moments of awkward silence followed, and I thought I had something something too personal and made the atmosphere tense. But when I finally turned back to look at him, my eyes widened in shock and astonishment. He was smiling at me, but it was so obvious to tell that he really wasn't. His eyes darkened quite a few shades to the colour of midnight forest, and his eyebrows were drawn down. Never in my life had I seen someone look so... just unbearably sad. My chest physically ached just from looking at him. "Is that so?" He murmured, pushing his mouth into a wider smile that wasn't really there. It was like he was a ghost, staring at the life he once had and trying not to be bitter about it. Before I could say anything, he turned back to watch the TV, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I returned to chopping up the vegetables as quickly as I could without hurting myself, reminiscing on what I knew about Lee. He was my next door neighbour, and I reminded him of someone he used to know. There was obviously some bitterness in the memories of that person from the way he acted around me sometimes, but he was able to remain civil and adult-like. He was kind of like the big brother I never had, perfectly willing to help me out in whatever way he could.

Which was how we got to be in this whole lunch arrangement. Yesterday we had met up in the hallway just as I was leaving to shop for groceries. As yet another apology for the way he'd previously acted, he'd taken me out to lunch at Jack Astor's. We talked as we ate, gradually getting to know each other, and he mentioned that he couldn't cook worth a damn. And so we developed a little deal: if he gave me a ride to some places when I needed it, I'd cook for him whenever he liked. It was the last thing I'd ever think of doing with a stranger, but I had to admit, it felt like I'd known him all my life. He was just a naturally charismatic man to be around, yet kind and modest. He really was an adult- twenty-six years of age, to be precise. That was yet another topic that had come up, and it still took me by surprise. Honestly, he just looked like a very tall and very well-built teenager. The man was a beast.

"I have an idea!" Yaya-san suddenly crowed, bolting up from the couch. "Let's go invade Snowcchi's room!"

"Yeah!" Kukai-kun agreed, and the two troublemakers took off down the hall. Nadeshiko-san sighed but couldn't conceal her grin as she followed, and Tadase-kun was close behind, saying something about how it was rude to do that without permission.

My heart was in my ears, and I was wondering if they were just saying that to bug me, but when I heard the door open, I groaned and yelled, "COME ON!" To which they just laughed at like hyenas.

Lee was chuckling again, smiling broadly at their yells down the hall. "A lively bunch, indeed," he said with an almost-genuine smile.

I rolled my eyes and set his lunch before him, which made him clap and almost drool. "Yeah, right."  
He eagerly took a bite after I took out some cutlery for him, and then he really did smile. "This is delicious!" He declared excitedly. But he looked confused at the same time as he chewed thoughtfully.

I laid my arms on the island and leaned forward, cocking my head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, it just... doesn't make sense..."

"What doesn't?"

He jerked as if he was suddenly shaken from his thoughts. But then he laughed nervously and kept shovelling food into his mouth. "No, it's really, really good! I just didn't expect you to be such a talented cook, is all!"

I smiled at him and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was taught to cook by my... my mom where I used to live. She and my dad run a bakery, and she thought I should learn more about cooking and baking to help with the family business."

His chewing was now less-than excited, and he had that same lachrymose look on his face. "Really," he murmured. "Sounds like your parents are hard-working."

To me, it still felt wrong to call Mary and Jack my parents when I knew my mom was still alive and my dad was- somewhere. Maybe he could tell from my hesitation that I wasn't used to referring to them as such. I shrugged one shoulder self-conciously and giggled. "They really are."

He was quiet for a moment, and I noticed that he had already finished in just a few bites. I turned to wash his plate off in the sink and retrieve some juice, setting it in front of him without asking. He took a large sip, then almost whispered, "Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes," I admitted, putting the dishes away and grabbing my purse from where I had set it on the end of the counter. "But I call them almost every day. Besides, I had been planning to move out for a while, so..." I smiled at him again. "I prepared myself for it."

His head jerked up from staring at the red liquid in his glass. "You'd been planning to move out of the country for a while?" I nodded. "Why? I mean, I know you told me you wanted a new start, but it seems a little excessive to come all this way..."

I pursed my lips as I drummed my fingers on the countertop, my purse already slipped over my shoulder. "There's something here I have to find," I finally said, taking his already empty glass from him and rinsing it.

"It's here and nowhere else?"

"Yes. I've known it was here for a while, but... it took some courage to actually come and look for it."

"Have you found it yet?"

I struggled with my next words a bit. "I have. But..." I wrapped my arms around myself slightly, clutching at my bony elbows. Every time I thought of my mother, the only thing I could seem to remember was that crazed look in her eyes as she cut me over and over again. But there was more to it than that. She also looked... empty. Like she had her very heart torn from her rib cage and was forced to live without it like a robot. "It's just hard to actually go out there and get it. I may seem like a coward, but-"

I fell silent as I felt his presence right behind me, strangely emitting no warmth, just comfort. His large, pale hand rested on my head momentarily, his attempt at consoling. I looked up at him, my eyes big and incomprehensive, but he just smiled. "You're not a coward," he said softly. "It is hard to go and face something you thought was always out of reach. That's why you should just take your time."

I flushed slightly, but smiled up at him. "Thanks," I murmured, and I noticed my Shugo Chara staring at me with looks of cautious happiness as they took in the scene from the island.

"Are you two sure you're not a thing?" Kukai-kun asked as he peeked from behind the corner of the wall, making me jump and Lee tear his hand away.

"Of course not!" We hissed again, making us seem more guilty than we really were.

We went our separate ways after that. Lee and I said our goodbyes cheerfully as I locked the door to my apartment and he retreated to his, then I followed the Guardians down the hallway to the elevator, our thunderous footsteps muffled from the carpet. The elevator felt much more crowded than usual, not only because it was packed with five bodies clustered together, but also because of our voices reverberating within the reinforced walls. The Guardians reflections in the mirrors actually gave me some comfort in being in that small, confined space. I wasn't left to simply stare at myself and whatever expression I would have.

Since the parking lot was tenants only, Kukai-kun had parallel parked haphazardly just on the other side of the street. And Yaya-san wasn't kidding; the truck was, admittedly, a piece of crap. Its colour was that of the fallen leaves skittering along the road in the brief gust of wind, a combination of a dying orange and rusty red and brown. There was duct tape along one of the back windows, and the front right tire looked like it wouldn't hold out for much longer. There was a long, precise crack along the windshield, and the passenger-side mirror was about dusted, as well.

When he noticed my staring at his beloved "Loretta", Kukai-kun frowned at me and demanded, "What?!"

I strolled up to the hunk of junk and gently patted its hood. "It's been hard on you," I murmured with a fake sob, and the other Guardians nodded in agreement.

I was already laughing by the time I heard Kukai-kun's footsteps storming behind me and didn't stop as he very gently wrenched open one of the back doors and shoved me in that direction. "Shut up and get in," he growled, but his twitching mouth became a full-blown grin when I elbowed him in the ribs playfully.

The torn leather of the seats grated against my jeans as I scooted over to the back passenger side, directly behind Tadase-kun and squished next to Nadeshiko-san. It smelt of old cigarette smoke that was probably permanently imprinted on the seats, and also of some sorry attepmts of air freshener. When I asked Kukai-kun if it was safe to open the window, he rolled his eyes but gave the okay. After we were all loaded in, he turned the keys in the ignition- more than once. It took a few times before it actually started, and when he turned back with an excited expression and said, "Okay, we're taking off!", he saw the pitying looks we were giving him and grumbled something about being ungrateful.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I asked, realizing how little I knew about the city and its surrounding area. During the taxi ride here, I had been too focused on calming my heartbeat and sorting every detail out in my head; I had no time to really look at the scenery or the city itself. My heart rate turned from sufficiently pleased to excited as it began to sink in that this was kind of like a mini adventure.

"Oh yeah," Yaya-san hummed. "You've never really been outside the city before, have you?" I shook my head. "It's pretty basic, actually. The standard loooooong stretches of highway and open fields beside it."

Nadeshiko-san nodded, and turned her head to look at me. We were on eye-level when sitting down, and she seemed to need to do a double-take before continuing. "There's some parks stationed around it as well. We're not so much as going to one of those as a nature reserve beyond a forest." When she saw the look I was giving her- one of shock and mortification- she laughed and elaborated. "It's hard to explain. You'll know it when you see it. It's pretty rainy around here when the season's right, so there's some bluffs as well, caused by the recession of groundwater and all that."

"I see," I murmured, understanding completely. With the humid and generally hateful climate of New Orleans, I knew all too well what lots of precipitation (and not to mention hurricanes) could do to the georgraphy of the area. But Akutetsu city wasn't like that at all. The streets were even and clean, surrounded by land on all sides. But I hadn't lived here for long, so who was I to say about the climate or anything.

All of our Shugo Charas gathered on the center console to discuss whatever it was they talked about. When I realized that I never knew what their lives consisted of without me, what they did when I wasn't around, I decided maybe I should tune in instead of ignoring them like usual. The rest of the Guardians carried on with their conversation- about maybe stopping by a convenience store and grabbing more chips- but I leaned back in my seat as I eavesdropped on the conversation of the little people.

"This picnic is a perfect opportunity," Tadase-kun's Shugo Chara, Kiseki, was saying. "With the limitless skies and open terrain, it's the perfect place to train for taking over the world."

This again? As if mirroring my thoughts, the others gave a collective groan. "Haven't you had enough of this?" Daichi, Kukai-kun's Chara, demanded. "You push us like a slave driver almost every day for nothing. It's good that we keep getting stronger and all, but shouldn't we be more focused on helping our owners?"

"Who cares?" Lilith piped in, and my heart swelled with something unknown- pride, maybe?- as she took part in the conversation. She was the only one lying down, and it was on Satsuki's lap as she sat in zazen, the vacant look in her starry eyes indicating she was trying to uncover the secrets of the universe. "It's entertaining. It's always good to see how far we can push ourselves!"

"I'm glad you agree!" Kiseki laughed haughtily. "At least one of you has enough sense to understand the importance of our tasks!"

"Just because we don't enjoy it doesn't mean we don't get it," Pepe, Yaya-san's Chara, groaned. "It's boring. And Daichi was just saying that we can't really do anything without our masters anyway, so what's the point?"

"This is exactly the kind of attitude I'm talking about!" The tiny king screeched, his fist flying in the air. "If we rely on our owners so much, then what will become of us?! This is why I have Tadase so whipped into shape!" Which was funny, considering the very master he was referring to was humming along to a Bruno Mars song on the crummy radio. "You all need to train harder if you ever want to be as great as me and have your owners in the palm of your hand!"

Refined and neutral as ever, the Shugo Chara of Nadeshiko-san, Temari, whipped her head away to stare out the window. "I'm perfectly satisfied between the relationship I have with my master."

"AND THAT IS WHY YOU'RE SO INADEQUATE!"  
Suddenly Kiseki was crouching down and clutching at his head, Vivian standing behind him and holding her rabbit like a lethal weapon. "That's enough out of you," she growled, wrapping the stuffy in her arms protectively. "You're so annoying. Just because we aren't pretentious assholes doesn't mean we're weak."

"I beg to differ," he scoffed, earning him another vicious hit on the head that made him curl into the foetal position.

"Hey," Daichi said suddenly, focusing on the only one who hadn't contributed to the conversation. "You've been quiet for a while, Satsuki. What's on your mind?"

"Maybe it's yet another intelligent follower who is cooking up a scheme for me to conquer the world." Now Vivian was just stepping on Kiseki, which made him almost immediately cry Uncle.

Satsuki blinked, coming out from her focused trance. "Hmm?" She cooed, her voice gentle and quiet. "Oh, I was just wondering what kind of flowers would be there."  
"Seriously...?" All of them seemed disappointed at the answer, to which she nervously fluttered around and tried to make amends.

I couldn't help the slow smile that spread across my face. This was probably similar to dropping your child off at school and watching them talk with the other students and make friends, as if they had no cares in the world. You felt proud, and so happy to know that, in that moment, they were completely fine and safe. My chest grew warm, but it was comfortable, unlike the sun beaming down from the sky. Leaning down, I started rolling up the old fashioned window crank to let some cool air inside the vehicle that was quickly turning sweltering. I didn't even need to ask if the air conditioning was out of comission, as well; I could guess.

After, I dug in my purse and slipped on mirrored aviator shades, and I would've felt really cool if I wasn't riding in a scrapyard on wheels. But the quick breeze blowing through the window felt nice as we crawled through the busy streets. People on the sidewalks and in the cars below us actually looked at the truck and laughed, but I didn't change my expression as I rested one arm on the side of the door. I had never noticed the city's true layout and appearance before. While there were modernized buildings like the one I lived in, there was also timeless places like Seiyo Academy, made from bricks and carrying an air of history. Little awnings hung over some of the smaller establishments that were all part of one building, their small display windows advertising their wares. It was kind of amazing how you can be in one place for a while and never notice the things around you. This city almost seemed like a diorama. Like it was handcrafted.

The thought should've been comforting. But it just made me feel uneasy.

In the end, the question of whether or not to stop at another convenience store was vetoed, and we continued along the road of the city, making the occasional turn here and there. Despite himself, Kukai-kun was a pretty smooth driver, even if his age insinuated he had just gotten his liscense.

Eventually, the clusters of stores and townhouses and tall buildings began to disperse into scattered fragments of such, and we were outside of the city limits. The open expanse of fields beside us were dying colours of old green and yellow, a sign of nature falling into autumn's cool clutches. There were more trees here, far more, varying from all different shapes and sizes, but most having lost their leaves, left with their twisted talonlike branches tearing at the fierce blue sky. It was strange to see such a thing, the land so dry but healthy, as opposed to the muggy marshes I was used to. Some trees were even collapsed and burnt, as if they'd been struck by lightning during a storm. We continued to flash by all that, the wind whipping at my hair and making strands of white escape from my braid and fly at my face.

"Your hair's getting in your face," Nadeshiko-san commented, watching it curiously.

I shrugged. "I don't really mind. It's actually kind of nice."

"Wow," Yaya-san giggled from the other side of the Queen. "You're actually pretty wild, huh, Snowcchi."

I made a face. "I don't actually like being inside for too long." Just like being confined in the hospital for days on end, watching nothing but the hours tick on by on the wall clock? No thanks.

"Good thing we chose to go out today, then," Kukai-kun crowed from the front seat. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and I stuck my tongue out at him. They sparkled when he laughed in response, the colour of absinthe green, and returned to the road before him with ease. It irritated me a bit that he was able to drive before I was, but I had never bothered going for a license. That would mean needing a car, and no way I was going to pay for that. Mary and Jack would've insisted on paying for it for me, knowing them, so I figured it was better to not even bring up the subject at all.

They did talk about it, however, on the day I turned sixteen. They just asked if I was thinking about getting my license, and didn't seem too surprised when I said no. Walking everywhere was good exercise, and I did have a bike at the time. Cars were overrated, anyway. When I thought about my "sweet sixteen", how I had spent it at home with my adopted family and ate so many of Mary's beignets I almost blew chunks, I grinned ironically. I felt so old now, being in a car surrounded by kids younger than me, filled with vitality and bursting with youth.

I had to remind myself that I was only two years older than them, not twenty. But sometimes it felt like my youth had just slipped me by. Well, given the circumstances, I supposed it had. But now, when I was a legal adult, magical eggs that were only said to come from children were always by my side. I supposed that meant my mentality hadn't grown up at all. I couldn't tell if I was happy or sad about that.

When I looked at the people around me, smiling and chattering excitedly as we approached our destination, I decided happy. Definitely happy.

I heard the tires of the truck crunch over gravel as we rolled into a lot surrounded by nothing but nature. There were no buildings in sight, just grass that had yet to die, trees, flowers, and a massive lake that spanned across the horizon like the ocean. The sunlight glittered off of it as it rolled to the surface and back again, and even from a distance away, I could hear the sound of the waves rushing and crashing, like cotton had been stuffed in my ears. I couldn't jump out of the truck quickly enough when I smelled the air, the freshness and crispness of it. Before I bothered to help the Guardians get whatever picnic stuff they had out of the back of the truck, I was jumping over the fence made of logs pieced together and out towards the swishing field of green delicately balanced on a bluff with another all-natural fence in front of it.

My heart began to pound excitedly as I rushed through the grass, my feet pounding against it with the sounds of swishing, near to the edge of the bluff. It had been so long since I'd actually been outside like this, surrounded by nothing but nature, with no sounds except the wind in the trees and the crashing of waves. I leaned over the log fence slightly to stare at the beach below, the sand more gray than white with the weather, the roiling waves a gaucous blue and capped with white and sparkles, like diamonds were trapped beneath the surface of each one. And just above that was the sky, ethereal and endless, with only a few white dustings of clouds floating overhead. I hadn't felt so free in a very long time. It felt as though when I took a breath, not only my lungs were full, but my heart was as well.

"Hisayuki, get your skinny ass over here and help!" Kukai-kun called, and I quickly made my way back to the truck, where they were unloading a picnic basket and coolers. I grabbed the checkered picnic blanket supplied by Nadeshiko-san, the same one we used at the sports festival, and carried it over to where Tadase-kun waited with a wicker picnic basket in his hands.

I laid out the blanket and immediately collapsed onto my back on it, gazing up at the refreshing sky through the filtered glasses. Everyone else joined me, except in sitting positions, and began to spread out food and drinks. Even from inside the picnic basket, I could smell various cold cut sandwiches, fruits, vegetables and dip, desserts, and chips. I didn't get up even with the wonderful-smelling temptations flowing through the air, and Kukai-kun grunted from beside me.

"Hurry up and eat, Hisayuki," he growled, ripping off my sunglasses so the sun singed my eyes. I groaned and glared up at him, and his jaw dropped in shock.

"What?" I demanded.

"Your pupils just shrank like a freaking cats!" He yelled, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of discovery.

"Of course they did," I scoffed as all four of them leaned over me to get a closer look. Each one of their expressions looked pensive but appreciative. "It's sunny out."

"Yeah, but I've never seen pupils get that small before!" Yaya-san giggled. "They look just like slivers!"

"Piss off," I growled, and they all retreated to their original positions with a laugh. Except for Tadase-kun, who lingered even as I sat up and grabbed a sandwich off of the platter, shoving it in my mouth greedily.

"I don't mean to be offensive-" He began, but I cut him off.

"You usually aren't."

His mouth screwed up into a wry grin. "Yes, well, I wanted to ask... is that really your natural eye colour?" I completely tensed up and felt my cheeks burn as he brushed my bangs aside and to the side of my cheek, caressing it softly like I was a porcelain doll. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"I-i-it is," I stumbled, trying desperately to ignore the suggestive smirks from the others. "My dad had the same eyes as me. It's hereditary, I mean."

Even though Tadase-kun nodded thoughtfully, his eyes darkened until they looked almost somber as they stared into mine. I smiled shakily and tried to avoid his gaze by looking to my left, and saw something that completely distracted me from the conversation and made all the blood drain from my face.

Tadase-kun suddenly became wary, as if my being afraid of something was reason to be more on guard than usual. "What's the matter?" He demanded, scanning the area with the other Guardians.

All of their faces scrunched up in confusion when I simply squealed in delight and took off running so quickly I was just a flash of white. Tadase-kun's mouth puckered in surprise, his hand still extended like he was touching my cheek, and he blinked once in shock. "What... just happened?"

Satsuki floated up to him, explaining with ease while I was very busy. "Red spider lilies," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders like it couldn't be helped. I nodded eagerly from a distance away, not caring whether or not they actually saw me; I was too busy examining the flower that bloomed more upwards instead of outwards, like vicious tongues of flames trying to kiss the sky. I had never seen one in real life before; they weren't native to North America, and instead I admired them from afar in Mary's gardening magazines and the internet. But now a whole bunch of them were right in front of me, swaying lazily in the breeze, their sweet smell wafting towards me and knocking me right in the nose.

"They're her favourites," Vivian added with a grunt. "And she's never seen them before. So she feels the need to act like an immature child."

I turned away from their delicate beauty to scowl at her. "I'm not acting like an immature child. I'm just excited."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Nadeshiko-san giggled, coming to kneel beside me as I delicately placed a finger on of the thin and fragile crimson petals. Though her countenance was relatively cheerful, the look on her face was rather thoughtful.

"Something wrong?" I asked, unable to keep the happy lilt from my voice.

"They are very gorgeous flowers," she admitted. She touched a petal next to the one I still had a pale finger on. "But its their meaning that's slightly... hmm, not depressing, but rather ominous."

I had never bothered to discover what they meant. I perked up in excitement as another fall breeze drifted through the field, making the green stems bow and the flowers tilt to the side. "What do they mean?"

She pulled her cream-coloured hand away and just stared at the flowers. "A forgotten memory. Never to meet again. Abandonment. In some of our old legends, its believed that red spider lilies are the flowers of Hell, since they bloom near cemetaries and are said to guide the spirits of the dead along the path of reincarnation."

"Oh," I murmured, staring at the bulbs, stilled once again. "Well then."

"We use them a lot in funerals here," she added thoughtfully. "In hopes of the dead spirits having a safe journey."

Apparently, she was not expecting me to lean even closer to the flowers, for she jumped slightly and stared at me. I let one petal dust my cheek, and smiled melancholically. "I think that's a beautiful meaning in its own way," I murmured. "At least the dead aren't completely alone, what with such pretty flowers beside them."  
"You're so weird," Kukai-kun crowed from behind me, making me flinch and glare at him. "Who really believes in that stuff, anyway?"

"If Shugo Chara are real," I began, not believing that the words were coming from my mouth, of all people's, "then why aren't they? Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Just like the Heart's Egg."

"That's not a very comforting thought," Yaya-san hissed from behind him, hiding behind his muscle tower of a body. "If those things are real, then who's to say things like vampires and werewolves aren't?" I reeled back in shock, my lip curling away from my teeth in disgust. I had just dug my own grave. Now I had even more reason to believe and be afraid of the paranormal since I had just given a valid reason to their existence.

"You guys are forgetting why you're here," Lilith snapped seriously. We all glanced at her in surprise. Her small body was shaking in midair, her face as red as the flowers with anger. "You're supposed to be having a meeting, remember? Forget about all that stuff for now and work, you lazy bums!"

"Are those things real, Lili-tan?" Yaya-san asked her curiously, more poking fun than being serious.

"How should I know." It wasn't a question; more like an aggravated statement. "I've... never seen anything like that. As far as you guys are concerned, the only supernatural thing out there is us, and we're born from humans in the first place." She turned away to join my other two Charas, floating uneasily in the air as they gazed at the lilies. "Forget about demons and all that. Just focus on finding the people you want to be. That's what we're here for."

"She's right," Tadase-kun admitted, coming to stand behind me. My mouth screwed up in a nervous grin as I felt his presence tower over me, and I almost punched myself in the face to keep my thoughts from going to dirty places. Never before in my life had I been nervous and embarrassed by a guy simply standing near me, but Tadase-kun apparently made that completely void. "We should really get back to the meeting. Plus, I'm still pretty hungry."

I laughed at the statement, since Tadase-kun usually wasn't one to express his own needs. Nonetheless, Nadeshiko-san and I swooped up into a standing position together, green grass stains covering the knees of my blue jeans. That didn't really bother me; they were only clothes, after all. "Sorry," I laughed, sounding more carefree than I ever had before. "I guess I got a bit carried away."

"A bit?" Vivian snorted. "You were practically drooling."

As we made our way back to the picnic blanket, I stuck my tongue out at her and grabbed another sandwich to accompany the root beer I had swiped. "Whatever," I grumbled, taking a large bite and an even larger swig. "I just thought it was pretty cool, is all."

"Enough about Hisayuki's strange flower obsession," Kukai-kun snapped, collapsing beside me and shovelling potato chips into his mouth greedily. "We've got bigger fish to fry." He gestured to Tadase-kun with flourish. "Take it away, King."

Tadase-kun sat on the other side of me, his expression saturnine. "Souma-kun is right," he began, his voice strong and unwavering as it was whenever he had something serious to talk about. He took a conservative sip of a bottled lemonade, his lips puckering slightly with the tartness. How cute... wait, what? "There has been a rush of X-Eggs recently, far more than we're used to."

As I came down from my flustered high over thinking Tadase-kun was cute, my brows furrowed when I took in what he said. "More than usual?" I repeated, and he nodded, completely taciturn again. "But there's only been almost one a week. That doesn't seem like a lot to me."

"You're new here," Kukai-kun said with a shrug. "So you don't know about our previous encounters with the X-Eggs... which, in truth, is next to none at all."

My once excited heartbeat completely stilled in my chest, as if the sun had frozen over. "Seriously?" They nodded gravely. "That sounds so strange. Why would they just suddenly..." Like a blade suddenly being drawn from its sheath, a memory sprang up in my head and sliced through my train of thought, and I was sitting on my knees spontaneously with a tortured expression on my face.

"What's the matter?" Nadeshiko-san demanded worriedly.

"I just remembered something," I hissed, my eyes narrowing. "When I was at the ballet studio with Yaya-san, the day we purified Maika-san's egg, someone was there. I couldn't see them because it was so dark in the hallway, and they had their back turned to me, but they said something about having to work harder to turn Heart's Eggs..." I paused momentarily to gulp down the burning lump that had formed in my throat. "Into X's."

Their reaction was identical to mine. They reeled back in shock, their eyes widening in horror, and their mouths going completely slack. "How is that possible?" Kukai-kun demanded. "And what kind of sick bastard would do that to kids?!"

I shook my head despondantly. "I have no idea."

"Maybe," Tadase-kun began, his lips slipping downward in concentration, "since they have knowledge of the eggs in the first place, they might have had one of their own. We've never seen what happens to a person after their egg goes to far into the darkness to come back... do you think they'd be able to develop powers like that, to spread that darkness to others?"

"Sounds like a good theory to me," I growled. "But that doesn't make it any less horrible."

"You couldn't see them at all?" Nadeshiko-san pressed, her hand held to her chest protectively.

"Well, they were tall enough to be an adult," I said, which seemed to shock them all the more. "And judging by their voice, they're male. They also sounded vaguely familiar..." I pinched my chin between my forefinger and thumb, mulling over where i had heard it before. "But I can't put my finger on it. It was kind of like hearing the warped version of the voice of someone I knew, like they had twisted it somehow."

They exchanged a collective suspicious glance, the only sound between us now the mourning howl of the wind making all the nature around us droop. But then a new sound reached only my ears, carried by the wind, and my head perked up in the direction it came from, as if someone was rushing up the treacherous hills oof the bluffs. The Guardians followed my gaze, and we all visibly concealed a groan when a familiar carrot-coloured mass of cowlicks began bobbing up from the preciface, a hand waving excitedly in the air.

Mr. Nikaidou stumbled and tripped just as he came up from the bluffs, a fishing rod flying from his hand and fish toppling out of the white and blue cooler he sported. He quickly picked himself up, his idiotic laugh audible even from a distance, and dusted himself off, gathering his belongings and rushing over to us.

"What a coincidence to see you kids here!" He exclaimed excitedly, inviting himself to sit on the blanket with us and dig into the sanwiches. I forced an awkward smile along with Tadase-kun and Nadeshiko-san, but the other two didn't bother to conceal their identical expressions of disgust. "I hope you're not here without adult supervision! It's dangerous around here!"

I jerked my chin up at him. "I'm here, aren't I?"

He blinked once innocently, his complete semi-circle of a smile still in place. "And?"

"I'm eighteen," I elaborated, and he bonked himself on the head with a fist.

"Right, of course, Himayuki-san," he chuckled, to which I just sighed. "But you're still a young woman yourself. I'll stick around just to make sure you kids don't get into any trouble."

This time, Kukai-kun and Yaya-san very loudly and obnoxiously voiced their complaints with groans torn viciously from their throats. Mr. Nikaidou simply laughed at them, while the rest of us looked at him reproachfully. He was far too airheaded for his own good.

"So," he began again, munching on a strawberry. "What were you kids talking about, all the way out here?"

"The next school events," Tadase-kun lied subtly and perfectly. I was kind of impressed at how point-blankly he concealed the truth. "Since Halloween is coming, and we've already held the sports festival, we were planning on withholding a dance and instead letting the students come to school in costume."

I twitched, that having been the first time I'd heard about it. I hoped it wasn't mandatory; Halloween was never my kind of holiday. When I was little, Dad never took me out trick-or-treating. Instead we always stayed inside and watched cartoons, for the entire day, and we pretended we weren't home so we didn't have to answer the door. Mom had never participated in the holiday herself, so she didn't really mind, but they both seemed to be on edge for the whole day. Like they were expecting the house to get egged, or something.

"That sounds like fun!" Mr. Nikaidou gasped, startling me out of my reverie. "I'll definitely participate as well! If the teachers do it, the students will feel more inclined to as well, right?"

Tadase-kun plastered on his most polished and civilized smile. "I think so, as well. It'd be great if you participated."

"What are you planning to dress up as?" Nadeshiko-san asked Yaya-san, who just shrugged and munched on a chocolate chip cookie.

"I don't know yet," she said, her voice muffled from the food in her mouth. "Maybe a baby?"

Kukai-kun narrowed his eyes at her. "Wearing something you are every day isn't a costume."  
She swat him over the head, but was giggling like a little girl. "I know, right! But I'm going to go all-out this time!"

"Hisayuki could just, you know..." He gestured at the Humpty Lock, which was swinging from a delicate golden chain around my neck today. It was a generally good idea to just Character Transform, considering that it cost me nothing, but when I looked over the two I had done in my head- the hardly-dressed Lilith and steampunk Vivian- I shuddered and shook my head. I'd be far too embarrassed to try something like that.

The two Charas look affronted, but Satsuki just laughed gracefully, her cheeks flushing in delight. "She has a point," she snickered.

They both turned to glare at her. "We don't want to hear that from someone who hasn't even done it yet," they growled.

Satsuki just shrugged, her expression gentle. "It doesn't matter to me. Whenever Snow-sama wants to do it, I'll be there to help her no matter the cost."

I smiled in pleasure, my cheeks flushing at how adorable she was. Why can't you two be like that? I thought, directing a dirty look at Lilith and Vivian, who glared in return like they could hear me. I batted my eyelashes, since I couldn't say anything with Mr. Nikaidou present. But he seemed to be blissfully unaware, gulping down another bottle of lemonade like his life depended on it.

Lunch was finished in that same pattern relatively quickly, most of our conversations censored with the uninvolved bystander lurking all around us. Despite being grudgefully store-bought, the food was pretty good and almost sated my man-like hunger. Even though our purpose for coming here was served, we figured we should hang around a bit and just relax and play. Kukai-kun had brought many outdoor activities from his house- which was evidently a hotbed of sports and physical activity- and the four Guardians with the annoying teacher laughed and played away while I went to go explore.

The scenery really was gorgeous, looking more like a painting than an actual landscape. The grass was miraculously still a brilliant emerlad green, but the trees all carried the rosy hue of autumn and the flaming orange. I sat under a shady tree, enraptured by the scent of the earth around me, and almost felt tempted to fall asleep gazing at the crystalline blue waters rocking just beyond the edge of the bluff. Each and every breeze was refreshing and so crisp it almost cut into my nostrils, but that was just what made autumn my second favourite season, a close second to winter (naturally). My eyelids were actually drooping down behind my sunglasses, the hush of the wind carressing the tree's leaves a lullaby, but then something caught my eye from a distance away. I stood and removed the glasses, squinting only a little bit, to see that there was a natural trail made of dusty dirt leading uphill to somewhere. Right at the beginning of the trail was a small statue, and when I jogged over to get a closer look, I saw that it was a small, cracked shinto shrine.

"Huh," I said, more to myself than my Shugo Chara who had followed. "What's a shinto shrine doing all the way out here?"

"It makes sense," Satsuki said. "Maybe because it's so natural here, ever inch of beauty perserved, that people wanted to honour the gods of nature for such a wonderful place."

"You two are whack," Lilith snorted, resting on the shattering roof of the small stone shrine. "What the heck is this thing, anyway?"

"It's a shinto shrine," Satsuki explained, resting a small hand on a huge fissure forming along the side of it. "They're stationed in places to honour the gods, and people can leave offerings there to obtain good fortune. They're usually in places surrounded by nature like this, since that seems to be where the gods obtain the most peace."

"Not that they exist," I intervened, which made all three of them give me a look. "What?"

"You just said earlier that because we're real, other supernatural things could be as well," Vivian muttered, raising one elegant, raven's wing eyebrow. "Doesn't that mean that gods could be as well? Who's to say we're not gods?"

"You're not gods," I said easily, and Vivian and Lilith looked offended again while Satsuki just calmly nodded in agreement. "You don't seem... benevolent enough. Plus, I don't think any god would want to get this close to a human."

Lilith's brows crinkled in the middle, expressing her confusion. "Why's that?"

"Well, humans are foolish," I stated simply, making all of their eyes snap open in shock. "I speak for myself as well, of course, but people are really digging their own graves. They destroy the only place they'll ever have to truly live with killing the environment, and they destroy each other over stupid strifes of power and greed. It just seems stupid to me, is all, so I highly doubt a benevolent being like a god would even bother with a world teeming with idiocy."

"You..." Vivian hissed, making me look at her. "You're really pessimistic, huh?"

I shrugged. "The truth isn't always pleasant. We all know that too well." They nodded, and I stood from my crouch to gaze further down the dirt path. A small shadow stood crouched and immobile in the distance, surely yet another shinto shrine. I glanced back to the Guardians, who were completely enraptured in their game of frisbee, and shrugged to myself again. "It wouldn't hurt to check it out, don't you think?"

"Oooh, an adventure!" Lilith cried, her golden eyes flaring up in anticipation. "Let's go, let's go! I wanna see what's up there!"

My eyes crinkled in the corners as I smiled down at her. "Okay, let's go!" We took off down the trail, the dirt crunching underneath my feet and my braid flying out behind me. Sure enough, it was another shinto shrine down the trail, and even further down was another one, each cracked beyond repair.

"This is strange," Satsuki muttered, examining one from above. "They shouldn't be cracked like this, even if they are old."

"Maybe someone did it on purpose," Vivian suggested, and when she saw the look we were giving her, she snorted. "What? It's just like Snow said; humans are foolish. They don't have problems with disrespecting divinity, because they don't believe in it."

"Vivian's right," I said, watching as the tall grass lovingly stroked the side and back of the shrine, as if to console it. "Lots of people just ignore things like this, and even when they don't, they trash them. I'll bet we'll find even more like this if we keep going."

True to theory, each shinto shrine we passed had some sort of fissure along it, like someone had destroyed each and every one on purpose. I looked to the sky to find that the day was taking a turn towards darkness with a mass of angry clouds gathering ahead, blocking out sunlight in premonition. Nonetheless, it didn't occur to me to go back to the Guardians; instead I continued along the path, determination on finding out what was going on in each step. Who would do something like that? Regardless of whether or not I believed in gods (which was more not), it was still disrespecting the people who did, and sending a message of total diregard to the people who went to all the effort to set up the shrines in the first place. It wasn't right.

As I reached what appeard to be the end of the trail, I sucked in a gasp as another, more savage breeze blew through the area, baking the grass and plants bend more willfully than gently. Just in front of us was a towering case of stone steps, cracking with age more than neglect, and a a tori such a courageous red that it seemed to be an icon against the foreboding sky.

"It's a shrine," I murmured, my Charas completely slack-jawed beside me. "I've never seen one before. Mom told me about them when I was little, but..." I sucked down the nervous lump that had developed in my throat. "I didn't expect them to be this... intimidating."

"It's amazing," Satsuki agreed, her silvery eyes sparkling in awe. Her electric blue pigtails whipped against her face in the wind, matching my white braid in fashion. Then her expression darkened, and she seemed to shy away from the bold stone steps. "We should head back."

"What?" I demanded, looking at her in concern. Vivian and Lilith matched her uncertain posture, hugging their arms around themselves in protection. "I thought you'd love this sort of thing. We should check it out, since we came all the way here."

"I do love it," she admitted begrudgingly, but her eyes clouded with worry. "It's just you I'm worried about."

I actually laughed out loud, although it was suffocated by the wind. "Me? Oh, come on. I'm sure I can handle whatever this shrine's got." With that, I began to mount the stone steps, the girls cautiously hovering behind me. There was quite a lot of them, enough to make someone get completely winded at the middle, but my stamina was impressive. I could make it to the top breathing only a little harder.

When I came to stand just beneath the tori, a chill seemed to course down my spine and rock my entire body, despite being desensitized to the cold. I crossed my arms and clenched on to my elbows, my heart pounding in my ears as the wind settled slightly. What was this feeling in my chest? It felt like... guilt, as if just standing beneath the heavenly gate was wrong for me to do. I supposed I was intruding, but this was a shrine. It was open to the public. I shook my head, the elastic holding my braid together flying out and making it come loose, and set foot within the shrine grounds.

Instantly, my heart gave one pound so strong I was knocked to my knees, the breath completely stolen from my lungs in one powerful gust of wind. All three of my Shugo Chara came to hover and worry over me as I gradually began to stoop lower and lower to the ground, feeling like I was choking on absolutely nothing. It was like the air around here was so fetid and forceful that it made me completely unable to breathe. With great difficulty, I struggled to lift my head, squinting one eye in pain, and took in the scenery to see if anything was wrong.

The shrine looked like any other I had seen on the internet or in manga. It was polished and clearly well-maintained, the lush dark wood shining pristinely. The screen windows played a production of shadows as the trees surrounding the holy place blew in an agitated breeze, dusting scarlet leaves across the black pagoda roof with golden statuettes of birds placed along each peak. Holy statues depicting divinity and signs reading of stories and legends forgotten seemed to glare at me from their posts, and I turned my head slightly to examine anything else. Right beside the tori, on either side, was a huge statue of a snarling fox, a piece of bright red cloth tied around their necks.

"An... Inari shrine...?" I gasped, curling in on myself even more. I didn't even look up when I heard hesitant footsteps clacking in high sandals approach me, and a light touch gently rest on the top of my head.

"Are you alright?" A small, effiminate voice asked, and after a beat of silence, I looked up to see a young woman, younger than me, dressed in the attire of a shrine maiden, with poofy red pants and a crossed white kimono shirt. A straw broom was in the hand that wasn't soothingly caressing my head, meaning that she must have worked here. Her eyes probing me worriedly were sorrel-coloured, like those of a tentative squirrel, and her hair was a gorgeous light chocolate brown that was tied at the very end with a white piece of cloth. Her face was the colour of cream and childlike, with big eyes and a nose tilted up slightly, and held the innocence you could only find in a child. When our gazes met, she gasped and retracted her comforting touch, and exclaimed, "A yukionna!"

"I AM NOT A YUKIONNA!"

She cocked her head to the side, examining more thoroughly. "You're not?" She murmured, and I nodded gruffly. "You sure look like one." Well, she was brutally honest, I had to give her that.

The harsh wind seemed to die down a little, letting the hair that was swirling around my body like a blizzard come to rest around me like a curtain of silk. It laid in delicate swirls on the ground, and looking at that and my eyes and skin, I could see how she had gotten me confused with a yukionna. The pain in my lungs and chest seemed to gradually subside, and my breath came back in calm, deep gulps, and I shifted from my doubled over position to sitting on my knees in front of her. I smoothed back my untamed hair and stared at her head-on, daring her to call me a yukionna again.

"You're so pretty!" She gasped, taking me aback. "Er, no, that wasn't what I meant... well it was, just not so bluntly... that's not to say I'm calling you ugly! You just looked unearhtly to me! Ah, wait, that wasn't it either..."

Her flustered face the colour of the tori actuall made me laugh. She was a lot like me, socially awkward and struggling for the right words. "I get it," I said cheerfully, smiling at her. "I'm Snow Hisayuki. Sorry for just completely intruding on your shrine," I added, scratching the back of my head shyly. "I just got, um, a little dizzy."

She was instantly empathetic, waving her hand side to side so quickly it was just a blur. "Oh no, it's completely alright! As long as you're feeling better! And," she began nervously, giggling slightly, "this is my grandfather's shrine. I just clean up everyday and help with the offerings." When she noticed my staring at her unabashedly, she gasped and let the broom slip from her fingers, and suddenly she was on all fours in front of me. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Ayame-san Ounomori! It's a pleasure!"

She brought me to laughter yet again. "Likewise. Um, you can get up now." She instantly flashed up from her bowing position into a standing one, and I followed suit, except far more calmly. "So, is this an Inari shrine?"

Ayame-san nodded eagerly, her dark eyes brightening so I could actually differentiate the pupils from the irises. "It sure is! Though it's one of the lesser-known ones." She paused to heave a sigh, her body drooping forward like a wilting flower. "We hardly get any visitors anymore, actually."

"I hate to ask this," I began, remembering why I came here in the first place. "But do you know who destroyed all of the shinto shrines on the path here? I noticed that they were all... broken."

She laughed, though it came out far more forced than natural. She idly kicked on of the stones on the ground, and it came loose easily, no doubt from being around for a very long time. She calmly settled it back into place, her eyes taking on a certain look of forlornness. "Oh, it wasn't a single person," she sighed lightly, though I could tell it bothered her a lot more than she let on. "It was a lot of people, all at different times. It started with just some teenagers coming around and they broke the first shrine when I was a little girl, saying something about how the gods were completely useless. Any people who came by after that seemed to just follow suit, until all of the shrines were broken." Her gaze lifted to stare at the slate-coloured sky, as if waiting for rain to fall on her wilted form and bring her back to life. "Now all the little stray gods have nowhere to go. I feel bad for them, but... it's hard to repair those shrines nowadays. Hardly anyone carries the materials anymore."

I frowned at her expression as she lead me to stand in front of the shrine, before the offering plate and the bell to ring in prayer. "Do you... believe in the gods?" I asked her, for the first time not caring about having an odd conversation with a stranger. It was almost like speaking to myself, as I watched her slip different expression over her face like a mask, going from laughter to sadness in merely a heartbeat.

Ayame-san laughed again, but this time, it sounded genuine. "I suppose I do. I've been coming here since I was a little girl, and it's like... you can feel something in this area, you know?" She asked, and I had to agree. The entire plains seemed to be throbbing with some sort of life and vitality, carried in every sway of grass and wave of the lake. "Like something- or someone- is watching over it, protecting it. It makes me feel safe. I want to believe. Because if I don't, who will?"

I instantly felt guilty for doubting their existence myself earlier, when someone like Ayame-san believed in gods so wholeheartedly. From the pureness and straightforwardness of her gaze, she seemed like the type of person to do things for the sake of doing them, not to obtain something in return. That was what true kindess was, and she displayed it so unknowingly and innocently. Briefly, a flash of white-hot envy struck my heart like lightning, but I shook it off. Ayame-san was the kind of person I wanted to be like, with a heart made of not bold gold, but pure, understated silver.

"You're right there," I agreed, staring out at the fox statues remaining quiet and stone, unmoveable guardians in the midst of their master.

Taking me completely off-guard, a small speck of white floated down from the sky and melted on my nose. For an instant filled with panic, I thought it was me doing it, with the strange reaction I had to this place earlier, but then I realied upon looking up at the sky that it was really just snowing. The dainty little flakes twirled down and down to earth, and I couldn't help but feel a little sad each time they touched the ground and instantly disappeared.

"It's you," Ayame-san joked, which earned a roll of my eyes. "Well, 'tis the season. But I didn't think it would snow today."

"I know," I said with a nod. "It was so nice earlier."

"I like snow, too, though. But it has a sort of... melancholic feeling."

I tilted my head to the side to get a better look on her face, and my eyes widened upon seeing hers. It was like all light had been cast out of them and tossed away, and her lips were quivering slightly. "It's beautiful, and so pure and white. But... it kills everything."

"Snow, get away from her!" Lilith exclaimed suddenly, tugging a strand of my hair so roughly I stumbled back a step. But I couldn't take my eyes off of Ayame-san-san. Now her whole body was shaking, and her breath was coming out in clouds of white. I didn't know how cold it was getting; what if she was freezing, and there was nothing I could do?

"Snow kills everything," she repeated, looking straight at me with those same fathomless eyes. Even I was shaking now, my knees knocking against each other so hard I almost collapsed to the stone ground. "Hey... do you think the gods will forgive me?" And now tears were streaming down her cheeks, her brown hair flying loose of its tie in the wind and letting it fly around her like a spider web covered in old blood. "For not believing anymore? For not protecting them. There's nothing I can do anymore. It seems that everything up until now-"

"I bet a million dollars she's going to say it," Vivian interjected with a snort.

"-Was useless."

"You called that," Lilith said to her ebony sister, giving her a fist pump.

Vivian nodded. "I totally did."

"That took a turn for the worse very quickly," I murmured shakily, deeply disturbed by what she had said. But I didn't have time to focus on it; Ayame-san-san's body was suddenly collapsing to the ground, the telltale X-Egg black fog emanating around her as her body fell through the air. I caught her before she smashed against the stone ground and set her down more gently, and an X-Egg shot right out of her chest and narrowly missed knocking my nose off. I flashed into a standing position, my hands curled into talons at my sides, as it bounced around and kept crowing, "Useless, useless!"

"What is with X-Eggs and that word?" Yaya-san's squeaky voice chimed from behind me, making me screech in surprise and whirl around. All four Guardians stood there, an unmoveable and intimdating force, but the effect was kind of ruined by their breath coming out in clouds from their mouths and their teeth chattering.

"Is it really that cold?" I sighed, wondering why I was still surprised by their sudden appearances.

"It's hella cold," Kukai-kun yelled at the sky, shaking his fist as if to curse the weather. "So, I take it this pretty little thing had a problem in her heart?"

"I guess so." I paused as the X-Egg bounced around and cracks began forming in its sides. "She's troubled that no one comes to the shrine anymore. She thinks it's pointless to even try anymore."

"Good enough," Tadase-kun grunted, the small golden crown of his Character Transformation popping on his head in a flash of gold sparks. "Now it's our job to fix that!"

The other three followed his example and Character Changed; Nadeshiko-san obtained cherry blossoms in her hair and a long- and terrifying- naginata rested firmly in her grasp, Yaya-san's bib and rattle popped into existence, and Kukai-kun's wild hair donned a star hair pin and a skateboard appeared at his feet. There was a small feeling of reassurance in my chest, knowing that people were there to fight with me again.

Soon enough, the X-Character emerged from its egg, but its appearance stopped all of us in our tracks and made our jaws drop. It wasn't the pitch black with a giant red 'X' on its head, like we were used to; it seemed to made of completely ethereal light, shining in all different directions like a shooting star beaming across the night sky. Its eyes were beady and black, two shiny black buttons staring out at us, and the X on its head was so white it matched the snow falling from the sky.

"What the hell," Kukai-kun breathed, not asking a question but rather stating his utter shock. I shook my head, not understanding it either. Why did it look like that? Why was it made of light instead of darkness?

"It's because Ayame-san-sama was in service of the gods," Satsuki cut in, her face grave. "She has their favour, and thus they back her up in a fight. This is the smallest fraction of their power expressed through a human being."

"They're real," I gasped quietly, more to myself than anyone else. My pupils were darting everywhere, from Ayame-san-san sweating and panting on the ground to the expressionless X-Character made of light, nervous and apprehensive. "The gods are real."

"And you, of all people, need to stay away from that thing," Vivian snapped. She seemed to hesitate for a second, thinking something over, and then she took a deep breath that made her entire tiny figure puff up like a balloon. "That kind of power is most effect against you, since you're not-"

She was cut off by the first move, made by the X-Character. It rose higher into the air and spread its arms, as if it itself was a god delivering their good graces, and laser beams of light shot out everywhere. All of us tried to move out of the way, but they followed as if they had eyes, and we were all hit individually and automatically screamed in response. But the four Guardians stopped for a moment and blinked, patting themselves everywhere.

"Huh," Nadeshiko-san mumured, examining her completely spotless cashmere sweater. "Nothing. I feel nothing."

"Same here!" Yaya-san giggled, hopping up and down like she was on a pogo stick. "It kind of tickled, actually!"

The X-Character remained expressionless at their offesive words, completely unlike all the ones we had encountered before. Tadase-kun turned to me, an excited expression dawning on his face as he realized this would be an easy win if it couldn't even hurt us, but it immediately shattered when he caught sight of me.

"Hisayuki-san!" He yelled, catching the attention of the others, who each gasped and rushed over to my side. I clenched my teeth together to keep a scream from coming out as he carefully lifted me in his arms and set me on his lap, looking over me worriedly. "Did it hurt you? Why-"

"I don't know!" I screeched, and all of them flinched in shock. My eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets, my skin carrying the smell of fetid, burning meat. Those rays- whatever they were- had not wounded the Guardians in the slightest, but took the worst possible toll on me. They burned my skin and seemed to strike me right into the core, and it felt like every inch of my skin was set in merciless flames that teased and licked every folocle of hair. I clenched my eyes shut and kept wincing, over and over again, as they worried over me and set me to the side.

"No," I protested as Tadase-kun smoothed back my bangs from my face, which were drenched in a very unladylike sweat. How embarrassing. "You can't purify it without-"

"We'll find another way," Nadeshiko-san assuaged, pressing a hand to my forehead. It only made the heat worse, and I turned away, which made knives of pain slice along my neck and actually got a groan out of me. She retracted her touch, holding her hand against her chest protectively like Ayame-san-san had not long ago, and the set of her jaw became determined. "Just wait a little longer, and then we'll get you to a hospital."

That made my eyes widen even more, and I grasped her hand as she prepared to turn away. "No!" I pleaded, even more vehemently than before. "Do not take me to a hospital. Don't take me there!"

While her expression still carried a shadow of worry, it had become more frightened than anything. The reflection of myself I could see in her amber eyes explained it all- my eyes looked as if they were lit on blue fire, my hair hanging in shags across my face. I looked... well, I looked like my mother. She pressed her lips together and said, "Don't worry." With that, she took off to assist with defeating the X-Character with the other Guardians, leaving me to lay there and burn.

"Snow!" My three Shugo Chara were crying, actual tears streaming from Satsuki's eyes. "Are you okay? Tell us you're okay!"

"I'll be fine," I grunted, my breath hot and panting. It was quite the obvious lie; my skin felt like it was being peeled away from my bones, torn apart piece by piece until I was just a lump of flesh.

"I told you to stay away from those!" Vivian screeched right in my ear. I cringed away, but she simply floated along with me, her eyes knives stabbing into mine without relent. "They're the worst kind of attack that could ever be used against you! EVER! Do you hear me?"

I really didn't. I just laid there as my breath kept bursting out of me like gunshots, each more painful than the last and digging deeper into me. But gradually, little by little, the sinus-singing scent of burning person began to subside, as did the sensation of burning. Whatever burns covered my skin began to shockingly knit themselves together. It was odd and- just horrible to watch. Millions of spiders shooting out threads of web at each other, until they crossed a flesh-coloured gasp with the combined strands. I wished it could've been like in animes, where people just healed in a flash of pretty lights, but it was actually very disgusting, and completely blew my mind in the first place.

Capable of actually sitting now, I shifted onto my butt and flexed my once-scorched hand in front of my face. Not a single scathe remained. I turned it over and over again, still remembering the feeling of being struck by lightning, the sight of a beam piercing right through it pale surface, but nothing was there.

"How did..." I breathed, unable of even forming the question. When the sound of a large crash came from the nearby shrine, I quickly looked over to see Nadeshiko-san stabbing around the X-Character with comendable speed, but it easily dodged each time, a flash of light flickering from side to side like a flame. Whenever it shot out another attack of light beams, Tadase-kun would shout, "Holy Crown!", and they would be protected by an orange jelly-like crown that absorbed each one. I supposed they didn't want to take anymore chances with the attacks after what had happened to me.

I averted my eyes and clenched my hand into a fist on the grass underneath me, ripping it out and throwing it aside as I struggled into a standing position. The girls hovered around me, telling me just to rest, but I shook my head fiercely. "They need me," I gasped, clutching onto a nearby tree for support. "Ayame-san needs me. This shrine means so much to her." I gritted my teeth. "And so do the gods. We need to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Oh?" Said a dark, foreboding voice from behind me that made me crush the bark of the tree in my hand. "I'm looking forward to watching that. Please, give me the utmost entertainment, Snow Hisayuki."

I didn't even bother to look back, watching the Guardians grit their teeth and firing counter-attacks of the darkness made of light. "I don't have time for you now," I spat, stepping out of the shade of the surrounding trees and onto the stone. "But just to let you know, I'm going to beat the living shit out of you when I'm done here."

The disembodied voice belonging to the culprit of the X-Egg epidemic chuckled in the darkness. "Yet another thing to look forward to."

"Satsuki," I hissed, and she came to rest on my shoulder and press her warm hands to my face in concern. "Let's do it."

"Snow-sama, you shouldn't-"  
"It doesn't matter!" I yelled, noticing that the last flake of snow drifted to the ground and faded away, and the sky began to lighten. "Ayame-san is hurting far more than I am right now. I'm not going to stand by and do nothing when I know I can help!"

She heaved a light sigh, but complied and pressed her small hand to mine. "That's what I love about you," she murmured, her voice dripping with affection that made me blush. "You always put others before yourself."

"That's not true," I chuckled humourlessly as we became engulfed in azure blue light. "It's probably more... for self-gratification."

And then I was drowning in that water-like blace, light hitting each and every turn and twist of the wavy air and making it shine electric blue. Absentmindedly, I worried over the slip of fabric- or rather, lack thereof- I felt with Satsuki's Character Transformation, but was comforted by the feeling of hilts in both of my hands. We emerged from the in-between space to the light of the sun beaming down from a break of the troubled clouds in the sky, and stepped into to ring of the Guardians' battle, catching their attention and making their faces go slack with honest relief.

"Character Transformation," I began, a smirk on my face as I felt even stronger than I had before, brandishing both katanas in my hands at the X-Character. "Blooming Moon!"

The name definitely suited the Chara it belonged to- Satsuki. As did the outfit that was inevitably embarrassing, a regrettable pattern forming with each one of my Shugo Chara. It composed of a short, completely sleeveless kimono that barely grazed the tops of my thighs, which faded from a light baby blue into a royal one as it travelled further down, silver blossoms covering the bottom in a flying pattern. Tight, black shorts that actually felt a bit like spanx covered the red of my legs, going from full material to a criss-crossed pattern as they passed my thighs. Long kimono sleeves of the same colour clung to my elbows and fell close to my knees, grazing the hilts of the twin katanas in my hands. A white obi held it all together, tied into a large bow at the big, similar to the two that held my hair in high pigtails identical to Satsuki's. The top of the kimono was more of a halter than anything, and clenched into a choker at my neck. The best thing about the outfit was the shoes; regular, practical black flats. Thank goodness for small mercies.

The katanas caught and reflected the glare of the sun, the blade of one an iridescent blue and the other a glassy red. Akai Yoru and Aoi Yoru, Satsuki cheered in my head, and I got her sudden impulse to dance that was repressed with all the force I could muster. Red Night and Blue Night. They cut like a dream; I can tell even from in here!  
"Don't say 'in here'," I hissed aloud, somehow easing into holding the blades at a ready position without knowing how to handle them whatsoever. "It sounds creepy."

"Hisayuki-san!" Tadase-kun cried for the second time that day, and before I could even look in his direction, I saw a beam of light coming directly at my eyes. But it was blocked out by a dark figure knocking me to the ground, and it hit a nearby tree which smoked and smelled of burning wood.

I blinked and immediately became as red as the blade in my hand as I registered his weight pressing down on me, his soft hair grazing my cheek like feathers. He quickly scrambled off of me, equally as red, and held out a hand to help me up. "Thanks," I mumbled slowly, looking everywhere but him.

"N-no problem," he stumbled, backing up a step. Despite the situation, the other Guardians were actually leering at us, their mouths twisted up expectantly.

"Grow a pair, Tadase!" Kukai-kun crowed, which earned a swift reaction of covering his ears and loudly going "LA LA LA" from Tadase-kun. I deftly dodged another ray attack, making everyone snap back to the present, and did an absolutely impressive flip in the air and onto the roof of the shrine to dodge yet another. They just kept firing away, and I smoothly danced out of the way of each, my legs feeling disconnected from my body and just going. Satsuki's transformation gave me a sense of security with each and every movement, as if we had rehearsed for it for years. I couldn't help but laugh at the uplifting feeling in the pit of my stomach, like butterflies were taking off and carrying me away.

What do I do now? I asked Satsuki as I grit my teeth and held up Aoi Yoru to block a beam of light, which simply bounced off and into the sky like a firework. The blade didn't even sing in pain, but completely withstood the hit, making me gaze down at it in shock and wonder what the heck it was even made of.

No point trying to figure that out, Satsuki chuckled. After all, it's magic, and magic can't be explained. I blew out an irritated sigh that lifted the bangs away from my face, and yelped as another light laser came flying at me. I dodged by bending back into a bridge, which got a disturbingly appreciative sound from Kukai-kun that made me want to punch him in the face.

Now, hold the blades in an X in front of you! She began cheerfully, exploding with the same glee in freedom I felt but didn't express. I followed her orders, and the criss-crossed blades began to emanate a light that resented purple flames, flicking in the autumn braze and cowering under my resentful gaze directed at the godly X-Character. Wait for the flames to build up. And then slash them apart, yelling 'Break X- Uchikudaku!'

Ooh, my very own attack and name! I ignored my internal squealing and waited until the violet flames covered the entirety of the blades, and then I slahed them apart and yelled, "Break X- Uchikudaku!"

The light X-Character turned around from attacking the other Guardians to emotionlessly gaze out at the brilliant electric violet X charging right at it in midair. The katanas were resonating and trembling in my hands from metal hitting metal, reminding me that all of this was real, so completely real. The X came into contact with the Character and completely blasted all of its darkened disposition away like shattered glass, shoving it into the breeze and fading away. What was left was Ayame-san's real Shugo Chara, a miniature version of her, miko robes and all. She smiled at me and waved cheerfully before being enveloped in the safety of her egg again and returning to her master.

Yaya-san was staring up at me on the roof, and even I had to admit I looked cool with blazing swords resting at my sides and my white pigtails blowing in the breeze that was left as the aftermath of my attack. "That was awesome!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, and I even struck a righteous pose just to become her ideal. "You're so cool, Snowcchi! I've never seen anything like that before!"  
"It was all right," Kukai-kun grunted from below, kicking up his skateboard and catching it in his hand. I smirked down at him, but then braced my knees for the jump I was preparing for, and leapt off the roof into the mush of trees beside the shrine. For the few moments I was airborne, my heart thudded in my ears and blood rushed through my veins with the feeling of absolute freedom and whipping air lashing at me, but it ceased quickly when I crashed through the tops of the trees and into the spot where the perpetraitor had once stood. Even upon a thorough exmanition of the area, it was clear he had fled.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, I sliced a branch off of the nearest tree with Aoi Yoru, and it collapsed to the ground with a heavy and shuffling thud. I stood there for a moment, shaking in anger at myself, but then let out a sigh when I noticed frost tickling the edges of its browning leaves. In a burst of vibrant blue sparks, my Character Transformation came undone, and Satsuki was floating in front of me, grinning ear-to-ear.

Before she could begin gushing about her excitement of the Character Transformation, I was jogging back to where the Guardians stood, their Character Changes undone. Nadeshiko-san and Yaya-san were assisting Ayame-san in her struggle to get up, apparently conscious again after that whole incident. When we saw me, her expression was confused and very disoriented, but I flashed her a reassuring grin.

"You're awake," I stated, captain of the obvious. "Thank goodness. We were just talking by the shrine and you suddenly collapsed." The story had obvious gaps, I admitted, but I wasn't the best liar. "Are you alright?"

She pressed a small, long hand to her head, and shook it slightly, her silky brown hair swinging side-to-side. "I... I think so," she murmured, blinking rapidly. "I just feel like I had a very strange dream." Then she seemed to noticed that she was being supported at the elbows by two complete strangers. "Uh, hello. I didn't know we had more visitors."

"These are the friends I came here with," I explained as the two girls let her go and smiled comfortingly. "When you collapsed, I called them here to see if they could help."

"Oh," she said slowly, owlishly, still completely dazed. "Well, thank you." Her smile was small and a bit forlorn. "This is the first time so many people have been here. It's kind of nice, actually."

"Well, expect us a lot more from now on," Kukai-kun preened, letting loose his shy grin. We all looked at him like he was speaking Klingon. "What? All I'm saying is that this is a pretty decent shrine. I'll be coming here with my friends whenever I need to pray."

Just like that, Ayame-san's chillind mood blew over instantly like the autumn wind, and her smile was so white the sunlight glinted off of it and threw glares. "Would you really?" She gasped. "That'd be wonderful!"

"Same here!" Yaya-san giggled. But then her demeanor fell with a sigh. "I need all the help I can get with my grades. I'm willing to resort to begging to the gods."

"It really is a lovely place," Nadeshiko-san contributed, as graceful and gentle as the light snowflakes that had been falling from the sky only a bit ago. "So well taken care of. I'd be glad to pay my respects here."

Ayame-san jolted in surprise when I stepped in beside her and clapped a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, a few centimeters between us, and I winked. "Being forgotten hurts a lot," I told her. "But so long as just one person remembers and believes, the gods can be at ease. That's why what you're doing, no matter how insignificant, isn't useless. It's a miracle."

She stared at me for a long time, her woodsy eyes glossing over with unshed moisture. Then she whined, "Snooooooow" and tried to wrap her arms around me, but I put my palm to her forehead and held her back automatically. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."

Peeling away, she flashed yet another grin at me, and turned to walk away. "I can't wait to tell Grandpa!" She shouted enthusiastically, throwing her arms to the sky. "I hope to see you all again soon!" And with that, she took off behind the side of the shrine, humming to herself along the way.

"Well, glad that's over with," Kukai-kun groaned, rolling his shoulder back and forth, the joints cracking as he did so. "I've never seen an X-Character like that before. And I sure hope I never do again.  
"Same here," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to repress the memory of the burning I had felt.

Tadase-kun was suddenly right in front of me, grabbing the hand that had previously been bubbling with ferocious burns and gently cradling it in his. I clamped my lips together and failed at supressing another blush, trying not to meet his concerned but demanding expression. "You're alright?" He asked, seeming a bit breathless. "You really don't feel any pain any more?"

"Nope," I said easily. I was more than unwilling to tell him, let alone anyone, about the strange way my skin had just mended itself together after only a few minutes. "I'm completely fine. Maybe it was just a fluke?"

"I hope so," Yaya-san cooed, suddenly attaching herself to my back like a koala. I didn't struggle under her weight; she was as light as a small child. But I still attempted to buck her off because I didn't like her arms strangling my neck or her legs clinging to my stomach. "I was sooooo worried! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me as well," Nadeshiko-san murmured, joining apparently what was becoming a group hug and wrapping her arms around my neck with a sigh. "Don't scare us like that again."

"I won't!" I choked, struggling for air beneath both of their vise-like grips. "Please get off of me." They grumbled, but obeyed and slinked away. "Well, I guess that's our cue to go home for the day."

"Totally." Kukai-kun's mouth stretched into a large yawn as he regarded the sky that was taking on a more violet hue than an alice blue. "I have to say, today was a pretty eventful day. I'm happy we decided to do this."

They continued to prattle on about the day as they descended the steps, but I lagged slightly behind, taking in the atmosphere of the shrine grounds one more time before we left. The trees swayed in a calm breeze, the exact opposite of the storm of fury earlier that shook the plants and made the ancient wood of the shrine creak in protest. I heaved a sigh, not either content or aggravated, just pensiveness. I had saved another egg; for that I was grateful. But I wished the culprit hadn't gotten away. I hadn't even known anyone else was around besides us and Mr. Nikaidou; I would've been more on-guard if a stranger was lurking about.

My Shugo Chara rested on my shoulders in an attempt at comfort, and their light yet solid presence filled me with a sense of security. At least I had them. Whatever difficulties arose, we would get through them together. I wasn't letting my dreams go anymore, even if I didn't realize what they were yet.

A smile of satisfaction twisted up my face, and my march towards the stone steps was confident and unwavering. However, I stopped dead right before I stepped under the tori, my entire body tensing up and my eyes widening in shock. My leg had began to sting in a very familiar way, one I recognized from childhood; the pain of being stabbed in several different places at a close distance all at once. Fire was shooting up my leg once again, and warm liquid began to dribble down from my calf and staining my jeans and socks. Shaking slightly, I looked behind me with a frightened gaze to see what was happening.

Time seemed to slow as I registered what was happening.

Everything moved as if underwater, lagging and wavering. My eyes widened until they were about ready to explode from my sockets, and my heartbeat slowed and slowed until I feared it may stop. My entire body began to shake, even my leg within the jaws of the massive white fox with a red triangle of fabric secured around its neck. Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki were lifting away from my shoulders slowly, their expressions those of pure terror, and they hovered by my head uncertainly as they took in the great beast baring its shiny white fangs at me, its fur standing on end and savage bright yellow eyes snapping.

"What..." I began slowly, hardly believing what was happening. But it was real. I wasn't just seeing things. The pain of its many teeth sinking into the flesh of my leg was so harsh I nearly buckled to the ground, the red staining my jeans unmistakeable. I shakily glanced to the pedestal where the guardian foxes of the shrine were supposed to remain forever immobile. Both were empty.

The stone foxes had come to life and were standing right in front of me, their gazes fully intending to kill.

The one with its fangs in my leg snarled and bit even deeper, causing me to cry out and collapse to the ground in a twisted position, my jaw smacking off of the hard stone of the ground. My Shugo Chara screamed my name, but remained still in the air when I held up a hand in warning. The ferocious animal's twin brother at its side peeled back its black lips from its big, shiny teeth gleaming with drool, its expression turning to that of fury and utter disgust.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice so quiet it was barely audible. I didn't even bother to struggle out of its jaws; I knew it would only hurt me even more. Surprisingly, the guardian loosened its grip a bit, and its mouth unbelievably twisted up into a snarled smirk.

"This is sacred ground," said the one whose mouth wasn't busy mowing my leg off, its lips not moving to form words, but simply flapping open and closed and letting them flow out. "Atrocities are not welcome here."

How rude. "I don't understand," I choked out, shifting my legs slightly to try and make it somehow hurt less. That only resulted in the fox clamping down even harder than before, and I supressed a blood-curtling scream.

"Your kind are the bane of our existence," it continued, each word precise and measured, as if they were separate sentences. "You are to leave this place and never return. Never set foot on these grounds again, or next time it will be your head."

Chompy (as I had adequately dubbed him due to his less-than-hospitable treatment) practically threw my leg soaked in blood out of his mouth and narrowed his eyes at me. Just before they turned to leap on their pedestals and form to stone once more, it said a word that left me blank, emotionless, white as a sheet of paper.

"Monster."

I didn't even questioned why what had just happened, happened; I just ran and didn't look back.

Though running down a huge flight of stone steps was not an easy feat with a nearly-detached leg. It turned more into a clumsy stumble, my blood leaking into my shoes and leaving slight traces of red footprints. My breath was rushing out of me in laboured, frightened pants, the images of the foxes' spiteful eyes never to be chased from my mind.

"Snow-chan!" Nadeshiko-san yelled shrilly as I fell to my knees at the last step. "Oh my god, what happened to you? Were you still hurt after all? Why didn't you say something!"

"I-it's nothing," I spluttered, fear coating my voice thick and making me tremble. "P-please don't tell the others. It'll pass soon."  
Her eyes were flashing with anger and nothing but worry. "I think it'll be pretty hard to hide with your jeans completey red! How could you leave them in the dark like that! Don't you trust-"

Her words faltered when I pushed myself up and into her arms. Her body completely tensed up beneath mine, any kind of touch from me completely foreign, but soon she relaxed when she felt my trembling. "Please," I begged again, relaxing only slightly when she smoothed the hair at the back of my head consolingly. "Just keep quiet."

This time, all of my Shugo Chara were in tears as they clung to the sleeve of my shirt, Vivian being the most shocking one of all. They shook so much I swore they were just a phone buzzing against my arm, and I couldn't do anything to assuage them. We had all witnessed what had just happened, and the scars that would inevitably form on my legs were undeniable proof that there were worse things out there to be afraid of than having your dreams stolen away.

* * *

 

Moonlight filtered in through the wide windows in the living room of my apartment, providing the only light I was willing to tolerate. Everything else was cast in darkness, lengthy shadows cast across the gleaming floor and haunting the silence. Since I had gotten home, I hadn't done anything besides collapse on the couch with my wounded leg propped up on a few throw pillows, courtesy of the girls. They sat on the coffee table, a constant worrying and pressuring presence, their eyes becoming more and more heavy as the hours of my silence ticked by. I couldn't speak. I was still trapped in the nightmare of what had happened that afternoon, the golden eyes of the kistune looking at me from every place the light didn't touch. My wound had already healed, pink crescent-shaped scars being the only thing that remained, along with the pair of jeans with a completely red leg that laid discarded in the trash, filling the apartment with a tangy metallic scent that highly resembled copper.

Restlessness was all I could feel. At any moment, I expected something to jump out at me and just swallow me whole, calling me a monster as the guardian had earlier. Why was I a monster? Was it because of my ice powers? Why did that make me a monster? My fist clenched on the smooth fabric of the cushion I rested on, my teeth grinding together. Something had to be wrong with me. I knew I was the farthest thing from normal, but saying that I was a monster seemed a bit over-the-top.

"Hey," I said to my Charas, whose eyes snapped open in full attention and focused on my worriedly. "Why did those beams only hurt me?"

There was precisely eight of my steady heartbeats drowned in silence before one of them spoke. Judging from the velvety, deep voice, it was Vivian. "Like Satsuki explained, it was because Ayame was in service of the gods, and they channeled a fraction of their power through her to combat a threat. The beams of light we saw today- the whole spectacle, as a matter of fact- was a little something called 'The Wrath of the Gods'. Whenever they see an impurity in the world, they seek to eliminate it." She paused for a moment to take a deep, shuddering breath. "And that kind of attack only works on non-humans."

This time around twenty heartbeats passed, picking up the pace one after another. When I finally spoke, the uncertainty was clear in my voice, even though I forced what I believed to be a strong smile. "Oh, I get it," I murmured, making their eyes widen in shock. "It's because I've Character Transformed, right? And you guys aren't human. So made me temporarily inhuman, right?"

Their silence was more painful than the throbbing in my leg.

With a heavy grunt, I sat up and took my legs off of the cushions and planted my feet on the floor. They followed me to my room as I shrugged on a pair of black leggings, and again when I slipped on my red boat shoes and slipped my purse over my shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Satsuki asked quietly, no trace of her earlier excitement remaining in her voice.

"To the store," I said lightly. I was very proud to note that my voice didn't even waver. "I'm not getting anything done, so I'm gonna by some snacks and pig out before I go to bed."

"You'll get fat," Lilith muttered absentmindedly.

I snorted. "My metabolism is far too awesome for that."

Being outside late at night didn't bother me in the slightest, even after what had happened on my first day in the city. I loved the smell of the night the most, the appearance of the stars winking and the moon bursting with light and serenity. The streets were quiet as I wove through the few people still roaming about, not even my music to accompany me. I just wanted to hear nothing but the world around me so I wouldn't get consumed in my thoughts again. I couldn't deal with them right now. My problems were nothing; I had to shove them to the darkest recesses of my mind to have nightmares about later. My time awake was reserved for my duties as a Guardian.

The cashier at the 7-eleven close to my work looked at me strangely through hooded eyelids, trying to determine whether or not I was up to mischeif this late in the night. Judging from my purchases- chocolate wafers, beef jerky, sour candies, and rooy beer- he determined I couldn't be too much trouble and checked me out without a word. The ding of the electronic bell as I exited the store was disturbingly cheery, and I immediately ripped into a piece of jerky and chewed on it as I walked.

My steps faltered when I heard a twang of something carry through the clean night air, then stopped completely when it seemed to turn into the sound of an instrument.

It was coming from far away; so far it sounded faint even to me. It wasn't coming from any of the surrounding stores; most were closed for the night and had no music leaking from the speakers. But it was undoubtedly an instrument I was hearing, one you didn't come across every day unless it was in the soundtrack of a tragic or romantic film.

Not truly understanding what the words coming out of my mouth meant, I turned around to face the public park far at the end of the block and murmured, "Is that... a violin?"


	12. The Sound of Sadness

**Chapter XI**

_**The Sound Of Sadness** _

Musical prowess had never been one of my greatest strengths. Sure, I could play the guitar decently, and my singing wasn't too bad, but the only other relation I had to the art was that I listened to it more often than not. But I knew what that instrument was, flowing through the emptying, dark streets in the night. The pitch would move from high to low very slowly, and I couldn't help but think of sobbing and whining. Like the violin- or the violinist- was crying.

Despite it being none of my business, I set my jaw and went to go investigate, turning in the opposite direction from home, towards the one, large city park. My Charas followed silently, as intrigued as I was, so the only sound to be heard was the faraway music and my shoes scuffling against the sidewalk as I moved somewhat hurriedly down the blocks. I wanted to reach the player before the song ended and they had left. But why, I didn't know. It was a strange sort of feeling coursing through my chest at that moment, one that felt like... addiction. It was the sort of music you could listen to over and over again, and just want to keep hearing it. This surprised me more than usual, because typically I wasn't one for classical instruments.

The entrance to the park was surprisingly classic and gothic; a wrought-iron fence that was still a clean, glossy black wrapped around the large perimeter, trapping in the voluptuous gardens and withering trees. This close, one was also able to hear the tinkling of a river, right there in the middle of the city like a canal. The leaves dusting and skittering across the ground were more of a brownish blood red in the moonlight, grazing and getting caught in the yellowing grass. The flower gardens were minimal as well, the supposed cold causing them to cave in on themselves in an attempt at warmth and slowly be left to die. The thought was grim, but I smiled at them nonetheless, reminded of the red spider lilies that afternoon, easily swaying in the breeze and adding fireworks of colour to a beautiful landscape.

As I wandered around the park, playing a game of Hot and Cold with myself as the music grew closer or further away, I was able to discern that the music wasn't just sad with its slow, changing tones; it was peaceful, as well. Halycon, really. Like one's cares and worries were being released with each note with words unspoken, hidden promises drifting in the wind. I found my smile widening as I listened, finally understanding what Vivian had meant when she said that one could express themselves in a variety of ways; this person, whoever it was, was expressing themselves through their playing.

It surprised me to find that the musician was not on the circular pedestal in the middle of the park, where someone should have gone if they wanted to play music and be heard. The stone was dauntingly empty, fallen leaves gracing it and the stone steps that lead up to it so it didn't remain in complete solitude. I heaved a frustrated sigh and placed a hand on my hip, looking out towards the glimmering river. Even with a convenience store bag swinging from my wrist, and my Shugo Chara buzzing around me in frustration, I had to admit that I'd never felt like I did right then. For the first time, it was like I was really taking in the environment around me as I listened to the harmonious tune. Each rustle of the wind through the trees, each splash of water running over rock in the brook, seemed to be a sort of accompaniment.

That was strange. Again, I had a sudden realization that made my eyes snap and brighten and hightened my search for the musician. This was what was called "muse", when people absorbed the scenery and environments around them and turned it into art. I felt proud of myself, beamingly so, and my walk got a swagger to it. I took another piece of beef jerky and split it into smaller pieces for the girls to take from my hand and eat. It tickled each time they brushed down to obtain another piece and chew on it, and I couldn't help but giggle.

Judging by the volume of the sound, I was getting warmer. I was weaving through an area of the park that was rapidly becoming more of a conservation area in my mind, the tall, twisted trees working as a maze. When I stepped out from underneath ones branches that clawed at my shirt, trying to reel me into the world of muse, I grunted and swat them away, causing me to stumble, and find myself staring at the musician, illuminated by the supple moon.

Then my once joyous expression twisted into a scowl. But that, too, soon fell away after I watched him for a while, leaves getting caught in my hair but not bothering me in the slightest. I could easily recognize that lithe, panther-like form anywhere now, which gave me conflicting feelings of smugness and disgust, but at the moment I felt no need to either turn away (as per usual) or grow closer. I just wanted to watch and listen.

Ikuto had his violin with him the first night we met. I had asked him if he played, and the answer was obvious. He said it wasn't that hard if you were used to it; he was clearly more than just used to it. It seemed to come as naturally as breathing to him as his hands were surprisingly gentle when handling the luciously brown, curved instrument. The way he weaved the bow had more finesse and technique than  _I'd_ ever seen before, but that wasn't saying much. However, even to a music amateur like myself, it was clear to tell that he was what could be considered a prodigy.

We couldn't have been that many years apart, maybe none at all, but he was a virtuoso. He must have begun playing from a very early age, when the brain is more adept to learning, to orchestrate a single instrument to scream volumes like he did. His expression, near pallid in the moonlight, was definitely one of tranquility. His normally perked eyebrows were smoothed and settled, his eyes actually closed as he played, his black bird wings of eyelashes falling gently over the tops of his high cheek bones. I felt like a total creep just watching him, taking in every angle of his face, but I couldn't help it. His music was haunting. Enchanting, almost.

For someone filled with so much perverseness and angst, his music was so gentle. The hands that had crushed a Heart's Egg only nights ago seemed achingly fragile. The notes he played went from high-pitched breaths to lower sighs, and clearly reflected the emotion of melancholy, even to a noob like myself. It was a piece I had never heard before, but again, that wasn't saying much; the only things I was really familiar with were  _Canon_  and  _Ave Maria_ , and that was because my father would listen to and hum them whenever he was thinking hard about something.

The piece was obviously coming to an end, with the way the notes begun to slow more and more, their sad tones stamped in my mind forever. I noticed a smiIle, more gentle than ever before, was on my face. Something about watching the brooding, enigmatic cat-boy like this made me feel happy, so surprisingly happy. I was happy that, for once, he didn't seem on edge. That even he could let his worries go and just be at peace for once.

That didn't mean I wanted him to know that, though. So with one fleeting glance back at him, I turned and went to go home, carrying this secret concert with me for a long time. But then one of the ravenous tree branches tugged painfully at my hair, and I accidentally let out an infuriated cry of pain. With a sudden, high-pitched screech, the playing came to a stop, and the smile on my face turned from peaceful to wry.  _Goddammit._

"What are you doing here?" Ikuto called instantly, his voice harsher than I was used to. The violin and bow were at his sides, his hands still gentle around them, but his gaze was fierce. Like I had been doing something wrong by watching him.  _Well, whatever. I do what I want and you can't stop me!_

"What does it look like?" I retorted gruffly, crossing my arms impatiently as my Shugo Chara worked to free my hair from the stupid,  _stupid_  branch. "I was listening to you play."

Even from a distance, I saw his snapping blue eyes narrow. "Eavesdropper," he called, his tone accusing, and I heaved a frustrated sigh. That was exacty why I didn't want him to know I was there.

"Well, if you didn't want anyone to listen," I started, my hair finally freed from the traitorous nature, "then you shouldn't be playing out in the open, should you."

The most startling thing I had ever seen from him happened: he began to pout, and honest-to-goodness pout. His lips puckered and his eyebrows drew down, then he turned around like a child and began packing up his instrument in the white, velvety case.

Something drove my feet forward to stand nearer to him, to have an actual conversation with him about his music. It made him seem like there was so much more than twisted smirks and perverse innuendos to him. For the first time in my life, I wanted to know more about the person beneath all of those facades, the one who's music sounded like the amplified sounds of a heart breaking.

"You're stopping?" I demanded, climbing the steps to the gazebo he had been playing underneath. It was made of a croaking wood with chipping white paint, not as well-kept of the rest of the place, but giving it a more charming feel. The milieu design of the roof made beams of rafters weave through the ceiling on the inside in a complex pattern, making the space seem all the more enclosed and intimate. There were no actual walls; just columns holding the structure up, and benches on the right and left side with ornate carvings and iron detail.

"Yeah," he said simply, his voice returning to its usual, noncommittal self. The lifted feeling in my chest that had risen from the moment I heard his music deflated like a balloon popped with a needle. I didn't want him to stop. Because of what I had heard coming from his violin, I was finally able to understand the term "beautiful music". It was music that made you  _feel_ , that gave you a sense of intrapersonality and reach deep within yourself to think. Hearing it made me feel connected to him as a person, somehow. It made me realize that we both had things to be sad about, things we could never say out loud. And so we hid them, only expressing those feelings when we were alone.

"Aw, come on," I began, aiming for lightheartedness but sounding just desperate. "I didn't mean for you to stop. You should keep playing."

"The song's already over."

In one sweeping motion, he stood and hitched the strap of his violin case over one shoulder. I watched disappointedly as he rummaged in his pocket for something, obviously not planning on playing for me ever again, and emerged with a knit hat that he slipped over his head after smoothing his bangs back. When he turned to face me, he noticed the intensity of the scowl I was giving him, and his mouth twitched upwards in amusement. It was the first time I noticed what he was wearing; the stupid hat that revealed his spotless, pale face, a black and white-striped shirt, black leather jacket, dark, distressed denim jeans, and combat boots.  _Mother of God,_ I thought to myself, burning on the inside with the flames of resentment and sin.  _Why does he have to be so hot? How is this even possible?_

I chose to ignore those thoughts, to push them to the very darkest corners of my mind so Ikuto wouldn't see my drooling admiration written all over my face. "Why didn't you play in the middle of the park?" I asked instead, remembering the first question that had popped into my head when i had come looking for the source of the music. "More people would hear you that way."

He just shrugged, the leather on his shoulders catching the moonlight and illuminating their sturdy form. "I'm not playing for other people to listen."

I knew that. He was playing for himself.

"Speaking of," he started, lowering his voice to a slightly more seductive pitch. It automatically caused me to take a wary step back, the eyes of my Shugo Chara widening in anticipation, but he caught up in a step of his own, a small smile on his face. Not a smirk- a smile. "Don't tell anyone about this," he murmured, his warm breath ruffling the hair around my face. I hated it when he did that, got all close to me and stared at me with those big, ultramarine eyes that always carried a slight smolder in them whenever we became as close as we were. It made me squirm, internally and externally, and not want to look away when I knew I should. "It'll be a secret," he added, changing the angle of his face so his smile became more intimate. "Just between the two of us."

For once, I was extremely glad my expression didn't betray what I was really feeling- while I looked like I had just eaten a whole lemon, bite by bite, I felt tempted, completely drawn in to his suggestive gaze and unwavering posture.  _Just between the two of us_  sounded nice. Though every meeting we'd had up until now had been just between us, anyway. I didn't want the Guardians to be suspicious of me, to think that I was shamelessly fraternizing with the enemy when in reality it all happened to be a coincidence- or, at least I thought it was. Nonetheless, I realized that just stopping seeing Ikuto wasn't an option for me anymore. Enemy or not, I didn't want to go out of my way to avoid him just because it was "bad"; I wanted to learn more about him, more about the person who played the violin beautifully and without a care in the world.

Not that I'd ever tell him that.

I turned around and hmphed, just in time so he didn't see my face go so completely red it matched the autumn leaves dancing on the ground, their dusting and skittering noises giving me some comfort in knowing that this was really happening, and I wasn't just imagining having this conversation. "I- I guess I don't have to tell anyone," I stumbled stubbornly, and the girls sighed.

"Why is she always so dishonest?" Satsuki asked no one in particular, sounding genuinely upset.

"Beats me," Vivian responded gruffly. "I think she's just shy."

I whirled around so quickly my long hair smacked them down and they cried out in frustration. "Shut your mouths," I hissed, and looked up to see that Ikuto looked like he was trying very hard not to enjoy himself. He was smiling, albeit begrudgingly, but his eyebrows were screwed up in a way that said 'it can't be helped'. My face burned even more, my mouth opening and closing like a stunned fish as I struggled for words, but I gave up in the end and looked away again, my expression softening.

"By the way," he said lightly, finally standing upright and not leaning right in front of me. "I don't play for free."

All the walls I had were thrown up instantly, and I narrowed my eyes. "What do you- oh!" I rummaged in my convenience store bag that still swung from my wrist, and pulled out a pack of chocolate wafers with a big, proud smile. "Here."

He raised his eyebrows, but still took the pack and tore it open, popping a crunchy cookie in his mouth. "I was going for more of an innuendo effect, but thanks anyway."  
My smile turned smug. "I know you were. I just know you well enough by now to detect them and effectively avoid them."

"Oh, you do, huh." His voice was skeptical, and his eyes were directed out towards the curled trees instead of at me.

"Yes indeed," I responded easily, stealing on from the pack and munching on it thoughtfully. "Anytime there's even the slightest opportunity, you'll use it to insinuate something dirty." His eyes lit up in amusement when he heard me say that, like he was talking to a child. "Which I don't understand. Apparently you have a habit of not saying too much of anything to anybody else."

Ikuto turned away from me completely this time and retreated back beneath the gazebo's roof to sit on one of the antiqued benches, throwing his arms over the back and resting his wrists on the edge. "People talk too much," he said simply, though there was an edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

After a moment's hesitation, I went to sit beside him, keeping plenty of space between us. My Shugo Chara raised their eyebrows, but remained silent. "I guess so," I said in response, looking anywhere but at him. "Looks like Mr. Popularity has a lot of rumours going around about him."

He was smirking all over again. "Sorry. I can't help it if people are attracted to my good looks."

Then he immediately lapsed into near-hysterical laughter when he saw the disgruntled expression my face. "You're so- so-  _mean,_ " I gasped, barely audible over his low-pitched snickering. "You're so mean and you own a leather jacket and you're just plain  _rude._ "

He sat up properly again, quirking one eyebrow. "What does my wardrobe choice have to do with anything?"

"A leather jacket practically  _screams_ asshole."

"You own a leather jacket, too," he pointed out.

"I never said I  _wasn't_ an asshole."

This time he snorted, like the very concept of my being an asshole was insulting to him. "You're not an asshole," he muttered so easily, so carelessly that I was thrown for a moment. "You're too nice for your own good. Scratch that- you might just be dumber than you look if you're actually making an effort-" his eyes took on a knife-like glint to them as his smirk twisted further, "-to chat with an enemy like myself."

And suddenly I was standing from the bench, my metaphorical feathers ruffled and pride taking a blow. "I'm leaving," I grumbled amidst his whole new set of chuckles.

"Wait, wait, wait," he coughed, trying to drown out his amusement. "I was kidding- you don't look dumb. Jeez, you're so fun to play with."

"I'M NOT A DAMN TOY!"

"Maybe not from your perspective," he said with a shrug, his expression all smugness and laughing blue eyes. "But from mine, I've never had such a funny little mouse to mess around with."

My eyes snapped downwards into a threatening glare, and my own mouth twisted into one of its more crooked grins. "Don't think for one second that mice don't bite as well."

"Ooh." He put a hand to the left side of his chest, an odd expression on his face. "I think I'd like it if you bit me, though."

"THAT'S IT, I'M GONE."

"Can't get mad at honesty, Snow." Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki all had gasps ripped from their throats and their faces become the embodiments of bright red flames when Ikuto grabbed two long chunks of hair swinging over my chest, wrapped them around his hands a few times, bringing my face so close to his that I didn't dare move, breathe, or even think. Our noses were touching.  _Our noses were touching!_ my thoughts screamed, and the reality of the situation made the tip of his own pointed nose hot from my own bodily heat leaking out. "It doesn't make you very cute."

This time I tried tugging my head away, but it hurt; his grip on my hair was tight. I turned to look at him again, my expression yielding and completely abashed, but it fell into surprise when I saw his expression. It was like a kid staring into the window of a vividly coloured, delicious looking candy store, knowing he didn't have enough money to buy anything but wanting it desperately anyway. No one had ever looked at me like that before, and the effect was all the more aplified without his hair falling in his eyes and hiding most of his expression. The black hat revealed everything to me; longing, hopelessness, a bit of anger. His breath was right on my lips, and I became deadweight as I fell backwards and blacked out momentarily.

With a hooting laugh, he caught me, barely able to hold on from how much he was shaking. I was trembling in rage and embarrassment, every inch of me red and ashamed and wishing with all my being that I could just explode and die, when a large thud came from the cluster of trees, and a body fell to the ground.

"Whoa," Ikuto snorted, clamping a hand over his mouth when he realized he probably shouldn't have been laughing. "I think you're embarrassment is contagious."

"Shut up," I said lightly, almost endearingly, righting myself and rushing over to the person- a girl about our age- with him hot on my heels.

As we came closer and closer to the girl- chestnut brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and dark eyelashes clawing at her cheeks- we both saw that she was completely unconscious, her chest moving only slightly with her breathing. Upon even closer speculation, our paces slowed as we registered the slight wetness in her hair and the red staining the white collar of her shirt, and Ikuto automatically- and completely unexpectedly- moved in front of me to shield the view.

Well, that was unbelievably protective and chivalrous of him. I got that weird, swelling feeling in my chest that made me physically  _ache_ and my bones creak when I looked at the defensive set of his jaw, at his narrowed eyes, but I didn't mind anything I was about to see. I had already seen some pretty rough stuff, being stuck in a hospital for a month and chomped on by some sort of spiritual fox that afternoon, and stepped around him to reach her. His eyes were narrowed at me, but I looked at him reassuringly, silently telling him that whatever it was, was okay.

Eerily silent, I kneeled before her slight, thin little body- looking so easily broken, and checked her all over for any indication of a wound, probing her head with my two fingers to feel for a bump. When I came up empty, I turned her to the side, letting her hair fall away from her shoulders and leaving a few strands to stick to her bloody neck from the copious amount of liquid there. Streaming from two little circular incisions that looked like they had been made from two needles stationed at an exactly parallel point. I said nothing still, and moved like a robot when I shuffled my phone out of my purse and called the police.

Ikuto and I fled the scene before they got there, though, not willing to deal with any interviews or questions at that moment. And by fled, I mean that when sirens began wailing in the distance, he grabbed my hand and bolted, saying nothing, showing nothing on his face. I was the same. What I said that afternoon kept coming back to haunt me, as I knew it would.  _Who's to say that other things aren't real, too?_ Stupid me. I'd seen movies (scornfully), with Mao and then my foster family, and knew mythical lore well enough to guess what those little marks on her neck could've meant.

But really?  _Vampires?_  That seemed a bit too unbelievable, even considering everything that had happened.

Surely it was just someone's idea of a stupid prank. But who would do something like that, anyway? Her face wasn't a golden tan like the rest of her; it was pallid, the blood running out of it from her neck. Not to mention that she was  _so close_ to Ikuto and I when it had happened. It was right out in the open, with two loud people nearby. If it really was someone's idea of a practical joke, it was very clumsy, too clumsy to have been carefully thought out. If anything, it seemed random. Like someone had just picked her up off the streets, willing to do it to anyone...

Just like an animal would when looking for prey.

"Well, that was a mood-killer," Ikuto muttered from in front of me as he tugged my deadweight along, his grip on my hand tighter than I thought it would be.

Without really thinking about it, I responded, "Yeah" in agreement. I realized my mistake with a gasp and the flooding of blood to my cheeks when he stopped walking and turned to look at me with pert eyebrows. "I mean,  _no_ , there was no mood to kill! We had no 'mood' at all!" I turned to my Shugo Chara, my eyes wide and desperate. "Right?"

They all looked at me with pity.

I snatched my hand out of Ikuto's and began walking ahead of him, grateful for a distraction, if anything. "Whatever. You're just proving the leather jacket theory to be true."

"Ah, but I readily admitted to being an asshole," he stated matter-of-factly, the grin on his face looking completely satisfied. "I have no qualms with being referred to as such."

"Asshole."  
"Hey."  
"...Asshole."

He heaved a heavy sigh and scratched the back of his head underneath the beanie in frustration. "Okay, now you're just being a smartass."

The sound of his voice clued me in on something. "You're still following me." My tone was accusatory, and his eyebrows rose once again. "Why?"

"Do you really want to walk home alone after what we just saw?" There was an edge to his gaze, the kind that told me he wasn't planning on listening to anything I had to say.

I shuddered and looked away again. No, I didn't want to be by myself. Not when there was a supposed vampire lunatic scuttling around. So I just crossed my arms and kept walking, slightly comforted by his presence behind me.

But the feeling quickly faded as I noticed he wasn't saying a word. His presence was constant, his footsteps only slightly audible behind me, but it seemed like he was dragging his feet along. He didn't want to walk me home, I realized, but he felt obligated to. At that moment, I could've been one of two types of people: I could've basically mentally flipped him off and said "deal with it", or I could insist that I was fine by myself, even though I was not. Turns out, I got to be neither; he spoke first.

"You're okay?" He asked quietly, sounding unsure.

"Huh?" I turned a glance over my shoulder and saw that his eyes were narrowed, suspicious. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"

He shrugged, a noncommital gesture of his that I was sadly growing accustomed to. "Normally, someone would be pretty shaken up after seeing something like that." Then the look in his eyes turned speculative, and knowing. Like he could see right through me and uncover all of the secrets I desperately kept trying to bury. "You must've seen some pretty bad stuff to be desensitized to that."

Instead of responding, I just smiled at him, and turned back around. I heard him grunt appreciatively behind me, and he easily matched his stride with mine. I jolted in surprise when I felt his warm hand ruffling the hair on the top of my head, and looked up to glare at him. He just laughed and continued to do it until I danced out of his reach and smoothed it out again, my perfect mask of indifference shattered.

"You shouldn't do this kind of thing with someone else when you already have a girlfriend," I grumbled, then stopped walking in complete and utter shock. Had I honestly said that out loud? Dear God, I had sounded like a jealous and overly possessive  _snob._  When he didn't comment, I figured he had realized that he was being a traitorous jerk by making moves on another girl, so I shrugged it off and kept walking. For some reason, each step rattled me more than the last, so much that my chest began to hurt. A lot.

When he finally spoke, his voice was beyond confused; it was confounded. "What the hell are you talking abou-" And then it dawned on him. " _Utau?"_  I didn't even need to respond; I made a deep noise of irritation in the back of my throat unconsciously, and he started to bust a gut. "Nope, not my girlfriend."

"I don't care either way," I lied.

"Then why did you even bring it up?"

"Because!" My voice left its low, agitated state and became more of a roar when I whirled around to glare at him wildly, my eyes searching his for some sign of mockery. I came up blank. " _You're_ the one who keeps consistently reminding me that we're enemies, that I shouldn't try to understand you, that we should just leave each other alone! But you're also the one who keeps coming back and confusing me and it's  _frustrating!_  At least you had a good excuse to be that contradictory when I thought she was your girlfriend, but now you having nothing to say for yourself. So  _why?_ "

My breath was coming out of me in large, huffing pants. I knew that being around him just irritated me, but I didn't realize it was to the extent that I was shoving those feelings down with such force that they snapped back out of me like an elastic band. He was looking at me blankly, his eyes a few shades darker, and I hated that I could see his whole face now. There wasn't the "hair in his face" excuse for the way shadows began crossing his face. It was just his warring expression, wondering how to get out of this situation and leave me feeling even more frustrated.

Just as I was about to turn around and go home by myself, he smiled, but it was a smile I could recognize from someone else. It was the same sad, self-pitying smile Lee wore sometimes, when he was thinking about things I knew I wouldn't be able to understand. "Didn't I tell you?" Ikuto asked lightly, stepping past me but pulling my hair to insinuate that I should follow. "You're fun to play with."

That was the last thing I wanted to hear. But then... what was it that I did want to hear? Did I want him to throw himself at my feet and begin to spew lines on how interesting I was, and how he kept buzzing around me because he wanted to just stay that close to me?

Wow, I was juvenile.

So with even more questions unanswered, the tension just continued to pile up. His grip never strayed from my hair, which made it seem to the few onlookers still wandering outside that I was being lead around like a dog on a leash.

Which wasn't exactly too far from the truth.

"I hate you," I said again, for the second time since the sports festival. But I would never admit that it wasn't  _him_  I hated; no, he was too idiosyncratic for that. It was the way he made me feel that I hated, so insecure and immature, like a pre-teen girl who had gotten her first boyfriend and had no idea what to do.

His response was the same as that time, as well. "I know."

"You're an asshole."

"Yup."

"You're a pervert."

A sly grin.

"But I don't hate  _you_ , Snow," he said as we finally came to a stop in front of Crystalshire Apartments, the lights of the city glinting off of their reflective black surface like falling stars. He let the chunk of my hair go and tapped his finger lightly to my nose, letting it rest there as he slowly, deliberately smiled at me. My eyebrows drew down in agitation and my mouth screwed up in a disgusted pout, but I didn't push him away. "And that's where our problem lies. So maybe you should work on that so we could just become real enemies and not have this extra... thing."  
"What thing?" I asked softly.

His eyes sparkled. "You know the thing."

Okay, I snapped. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" I screeched as I tore away from him, pitifully covering my bright red face with my hands. I could feel that I was red all the way to my ears and neck. My neck! I had never, ever been like this with a boy before, so blushy and nervous and self-conscious. But Ikuto's very presence in front of me, smiling wickedly and his eyes dancing with laughter, made my whole body begin to shake.

It was the first time I wanted a guy to  _really_ look at me, to see what was beyong the wild white hair and aurora coloured eyes.

And that scared me. And intrigued me. And made me curse myself to the fiery depths of Hell for acting like this now, of all times, when everything else was just so confusing and I was supposed to get a glint of hatred in my eyes when I talked about him, like Tadase-kun did.

"I'M GOING HOME NOW BYE," I said quickly, loudly, and very awkwardly as I darted towards the entrance and tried to escape his probing gaze.

"Where's my 'thank you' for walking you home?" He called, looking so irritatingly at ease with his weight shifted to one hip and his hands shoved in his pockets.

With a furious grunt, I stopped in my tracks and began digging in my purse. Here was the thing: Mrs. Garrett, my less-than-civil boss at work, really got on my nerves sometimes. So in a sorry attempt at retaliation, I would swipe any extra after-meal suckers when no one was looking just to spite her secretly. I had given him one before as a thank you, and so I decided that it would become a thing, since I had already given him wafers. Man, I was spoiling him like a little boy.

He caught it easily when I threw it at him with barely contained force, and called, "You're my stockpile now," to me, still managing to keep the pitch of his voice low and like a whisper right next to my ear.

"I'm not yer pimp!" Aaaaand the dialect made a shocking appearance.

"But what if I want you to be?"

"AHHH!" I screeched, wheeling back around in the electric sliding doorway to see that he was almost on his knees in laughter. "CHOKE ON IT FOR ALL I CARE! YOU STUPID CAT!"

"You know you adore me!"

"Fuck no!" And with that rare display of a harsh cuss word, I turned back into the lobby with a body resembling a ripe tomato, only to meet Lee's terrified and amused gaze.

"So," I began, my voice irregularly high-pitched as I plastered on a smile and faked nonchalance. "How's your night been?"

 

* * *

 

I awoke with a start, a loud snort, and a mumbled, "Shit."

Something had happened within the past week that threw me off of my sleeping schedule so much that I had been almost late every day since Sunday. Today would be no exception, judging from the time that I checked on my phone and the bright light streaming in through the balcony doors. My mouth opened so wide in a yawn that the corners of it felt like they were going to split, and I was unusually sprawled all over my bed when I usually just curled up on my side. The tank top I slept in was curled up and exposing my stomach, signalling that I had been tossing and turning throughout the night. I didn't even have the energy to bolt out of bed and rush to get ready and make it on time; rather, I slithered out of it feet first until I was groaning and lying on the floor, thanking the almighty God above that it was Thursday, and tomorrow was the teacher's work day.

"Stop lazing about and get the hell up!" Lilith screamed in my ear, which made me jolt upwards and wipe the drool off the side of my cheek. "You're going to be freaking late! This is all because you've been working yourself to the bone!"

I scratched the back of my head and threw off my shirt and pajama bottoms, changing my undergarments and zipping up my red plaid skirt. "It's not my fault that X-Eggs have been popping up almost every day this week."

That was where the problem lied. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, X-Eggs with unidentified owners popped up at the school and had to be rallied up by the Guardians. Each time I Character Transformed with Lilith- who didn't seem to be as affected as I was and was just as bitchy as usual- and we purified it together, but the constant changing of form temporarily was beginning to take a toll on my body. I wasn't used to feeling that strong and in power, and it came at a cost of draining an intense amount of energy. Not to mention that each night I was plagued by nightmares of the kitsunes growling at and calling me a monster, and a vampire wannabe wandering around the streets at night and making a delicious meal of whoever happened to get caught in their sights. Things just kept getting more and more strange as time went by in this city, like some sort of story was beginning to unfold right in front of me, and I had to make it to the end if I wanted to live in peace.

The only thing I felt capable of doing with my hair and makeup was brushing it through and dabbing on some mascara. The tie of my uniform was an absolute disaster, but my hands weren't working properly enough to even attempt at a better job. Instead of attending to my personal appearance, I shoved the scattered homework pages on my desk into my binder then my bag, and shuffled to the kitchen to grab some food, zombie-style. In honour of the day begin Halloween, I made "spooky" cupcakes for the Guardians, with orange and black icing, and candy decals of ghosts, bats, and tombstones. While I was a decent cook, baking was really my specialty, and I couldn't wait to hear what they had to say about them. That perked up my mood just a little bit, and I shoved the glass tupperware contained in my bag and scooped the readily prepared BLT from the fridge that would serve as a bribe. Then I shoved on my red boat shoes, shut off the apartment's lights, and locked the door, only moving to the last apartment in the hallway to knock on the door and yawn while I waited for my ride's response.

Lee opened the door with an easily familiar smile, and shut it behind him before I even got a peek of the inside. Not for the first time, I wondered what his apartment looked like, if it spelled money just like his flashy black car did. I didn't even know what he did for a living. I'd have to ask him when I wasn't falling asleep standing up. "Good morning," he greeted cheerily, the most adorable twenty-six-year-old man in existence. "Overslept again?"

"Yup," I groaned, finishing with a yawn as we started for the stairs, the elevator not fast enough for our purpose. I handed him the breakfast sandwich and he tore into it immediately, chewing merrily as we thundered down the stairs.

"Want me to carry you?" He asked with raised eyebrows, a mischievous sparkle in his evergreen eyes.

Clearly, he was joking, which was why he seemed to shocked to see me actually considering it. I laughed out loud at his expression and said, "I'm kidding. I think I can make it on my own." Saying that made me a big fat liar, because I nearly lost my footing at the end of the flight and barely stopped myself from crashing into a wall. Lee tried not to laugh and failed miserably, which got me fully awake and steaming with embarrassment.

The mahogany carpeted stairwell that made our footsteps echo all the way down lead to the back door of the apartments, where there was a smaller tenant parking lot and a small playground for children. Branching off from the main building was an all clear-glass structure that shielded the indoor pool from weather conditions, and I could smell the chlorine even from a distance away. Lee was wrinkling his nose, as well, and I smiled to myself. Sometimes we were so alike it felt like we had known each other for years and years, not just weeks.

We skirted around the large building's perimeter to the front parking lot and clambered into his car, and took off at a decently fast pace. I was able to finally relax in the leather seat as he drove with ease, and was grateful that at least somebody's car wasn't a deathtrap on wheels (cough Kukai cough). It was a pleasantly overcast day, a perfect mood for the holiday of the supernatural, and he didn't bother turning on the air conditioning like he did whenever the sun was out. He didn't even turn on the radio, but I could guess why; all we would hear would be the ongoing investigation of what exactly was causing all of the recent attacks in the city, and the newest victim of the week.

And that was the pattern of the whole mess that reporters and detectives seemed to miss that I caught on to after a bit of research; the attacks occurred each week when there was hardly anyone milling about after dark, and the days were purposely scattered so not as to attract attention. They weren't sequential, but they were definitely planned. Whatever- or  _whoever_ \- was doing this was doing so with full intention to not attract attention, but they weren't covering their tracks very well if they just left their victims lying about for the public eye to see. There was something strange about the whole case, like each and every aspect of it was being monitored under a watchful eye, each and every bit of it carefully crafted like the plot for some cheesy movie.

I heaved a sigh and settled for watching Lee's profile as he drove, trying to draw my mind away from the very thing that was giving me recurring nightmares. Each time he turned on his turning signal, he would set his jaw and his eyes would move in the direction he was going, every movement careful and calculated. It never ceased to amaze me how different his hair was; it was a shade or two lighter than Ikuto's, not so dark that it became blue, the colour of black that you saw on licorice. He never seemed to mind keeping it in a ponytail that fell down his back in an orderly line, but the top of his head and bangs were shaggy and stuck out in different directions. Something about his face struck as familiar to me, and I saw up straighter in the passenger seat when I saw it. Then I burst into an over-tired giggle fit. We had identical noses, the turned-up celestial kind, and that was apparently hilarious to sleep-deprived Snow.

"What's up?" He asked warily, knowing full-well that what I was about to say would most likely be less than coherent.

"We have the same nose," I snorted, using my finger to stroke the end of mine and show that it turned up snobbily at the end. Vivian and Lilith managed a truly impressive feat on my lap- face-palming at the exact same time.

"Oh, do we," Lee murmured, his mouth screwing up in a wry grin. As we approached the school at a now-leisurely pace, having saved time by running down the stairs, I continued to observe him and try to identify anything that would give some insight to his private life. His clothes were more casual than not, and consisted of loose-fitting white wash jeans, a black vee-neck sweater over a white tailored dress shirt, and a dark spring green tie. He looked kind of like a play-it-cool teacher. And because I was nosy, I just had to ask.

"What do you work as, Lee?" I started, crossing one leg over the other in an attempt at casualty. "You always have time to take me places, and I'm worried that it's interfering with your schedule." Which was very true, but also a cover-up for my invasiveness.

He barked out a laugh. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I make my own hours."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you self-employed?"

A surprisingly condescending snort from him. "No. I work on the city council."

"WHAT?!"

"Is it really that surprising?" He looked stricken but amused as he kept his eyes trained on the road, but was trying with visible effort not to turn and look at my expression.

"Well, yes! That's very important! How can you just say you make your own hours?!" I thudded back into the leather seat, which got an inappropriately hilarious squish from the material. "You should not be carting me everywhere if you do something like that! Heck, no wonder you can't even cook your own meals properly." I threw my hands in the air in frustration. "You don't even have time to practise!"

"I'll give you that," he chuckled, pulling up to the school's gates all too quickly. He left the car running as he turned in his seat to face me, his expression challenging and smug. "But really, Miss Snow, I'm in a position high enough that no one dares to challenge my word. It's really no trouble driving you around at all, especially when it's in exchange for such delicious meals."

There was a look in his eyes that made my hand on the door handle freeze, a baby bird locking eyes with a large cat only a breath away. It was like... a dare. A dare for me to try and challenge his authority. Well, even when I hadn't before, I now felt immensely intimidated by him. I lived next to one of the leading men of the city without even realizing it, and now he was looking at me like he was saying "what are you gonna do about it". What was the answer?

Nothing, of course.

I grinned at him, and I could see in the passenger side mirror from my peripheral vision that it wasn't wavering in the slightest. "Well, thank you, then," I said easily. "But you're sounding kind of like a dictator."

The Lee I had come to know returned with a snap, his innocent green eyes widening and his hands fluttered about nervously. "Oh, that wasn't my intention at all!" He floundered, his scraggly hair falling across his forehead and casting it in eerie shadows.

"I was just kidding!" I laughed, for the second time that day. "Sheesh. You need to learn how to take a joke."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You've just learned what I do every day. Surely you can understand why my sense of humour may leave much to be desired."

I couldn't even imagine; being stuck in an office all day, with stiff and stuck-up politicians nitpicking at every little thing you did and practically manipulating the strings behind the whole city? It was a twisted occupation to be in, that was for sure. Operating everything from the shadows like puppeteers. I shuddered and nodded at him in acknowledgement, and bent over to pick up my bag that I had gently set at my feet. My Shugo Chara squealed in protest when I nearly crushed them under my torso, and I had to repress another laugh so Lee didn't think that I had a few screws loose.

"Hang on," he said before I put my hand on the door handle again. "Two things. One, your tie..."

I rolled my eyes heavenward, then down at him again sardonically. "Yeah, I'm not exactly in any healthy position to attempt doing anything at the moment, let alone tying a tie."

"Allow me." He reached over after I nodded in permission, and I found it courteous that he actually waited for a response. He pulled up the white collar of my blouse and untucked the tie from my blazer to twist and flip it a variety of different ways that I did not even attempt to decipher, his jaw set in tha focused way. His hands were incredibly gentle, handling everything about me like I was a porcelein doll delicately perched on a crooked shelf. He didn't even touch my neck once, he was so careful. For once, I didn't mind someone's close proximity to me, unlike with Tadase-kun and Ikuto. The rate of my pulse remained steady and normal, my cheeks refreshingly unflushed. It was like the awkward touch of a new stepfather, when you were still unsure of the parent-child relationship you possessed, but tried your best to get along anyway and do parental things. With one final tug, he finished tying it with flourish, and it almost seemed too perfect. It didn't suit the way I looked at that moment, bags under my eyes and my hair the wavy and curly mess it was whenever I didn't take the time to take care of it.

"Thank you," I said softly, with a gentle smile up at him. He returned it with a white-toothed grin of his own, then reach past me to delicately take something out of the glove compartment. Even that did not give me any sort of strange reaction; I remained casual, the only racing of my pulse now caused by the fear that I was going to be late after all.

Lee gently cradled the object he took from the compartment like it was finespun, and I blinked in surprise and suspicion when I saw what it was. Never before had a seen such a curious mask. It resembled that of a Joker's you'd find on a suit of cards, the right side pure white and the left black, with opposite shades colouring the upside-down crescent eyes and pointedly grinning mouth. As if that wasn't enough, it was elaborately decorated, with spirals of black and white gracing the empty planes, so intricate and detailed they resembled frosted glass. On the top right side was a vicious, darker-than-black rose, with pearled beads spilling from it and looping around it again and again to create a layered effect.

"Um," I began, edging away from it slightly. "What is it?"

He shrugged, aiming to be insouciant, but his eyes had taken on a new emotion all over again; they were steely, focused, determined. "It's a mask," he said. "Obviously. And since it's Halloween, I figured you'd might need something." He pushed it into my lap, oblivious of the little people sitting there, and they screamed shrilly and ducked behind my hair to avoid being smothered. "I'll lend it to you."

"I... I appreciate the gesture," I stuttered, feeling disconcerted by the colourless, smiling eyes staring straight up at me. "But I couldn't possibly take it. It's yours, after all-"

"This will be doing me a favour, actually," he laughed, though it sounded forced. "Please, just wear it. And look," he added, gesturing out the window to the students emptying the sidewalk and spilling into the school grounds. Almost every one of them had some sort of costume about them, from masks to fake cat ears to witch's robes and everything in between. I scowled out at them, cursing the holiday for making me dress up, but I figured that I might as well participate since the Guardians were as well. But the mask was undeniably creepy, and haunted the after-images on my eyelids. It reminded me too much of horror films, which then struck chords with memories that were meant to stay just that.

Nonetheless, I muttered a soft thanks and slipped it over my head. A silk string was to be tied behind my ears and around my head to keep it in place, and Lee did just that when I turned back to exit the vehicle.

"Thank you," he murmured in an almost-relieved way. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders simply by my wearing some ominous mask. Well, I guessed I couldn't say I minded it that much if it took some worry away from him- whatever that worry was. He'd been far too kind to me for me to ever repay, and if doing something like that made him happy, then tie up that mask and let's strike terror into the hearts of children.

"Again, thank you so much," I said quickly as I threw my legs out the door and bolted out of the car. "Dinner's on me. Anything you want."  
"Woohoo!" He cheered aloud, and he even went so far as to pump a fist in the air. "I'm looking forward to it."

I nodded at him before he pulled away with a smile- even though he couldn't see it. "See you when I'm done work."

As he peeled away from the road next to the sidewalk, I pondered over what a nice guy he was. And wondered why he'd go so far as to help a complete stranger. He even insisted on driving me home from work at night, especially considering all of the "animal attacks"; that, and he mentioned something about it not being safe for a teenage girl to walk home alone at night.  _Don't I know it._

"That thing really is creepy," Lilith hissed from right beside my ear, and I felt her prod it slightly with her hand. "I don't like not seeing your face at all."  
"Please take it off," Satsuki begged, and through the cracks of the eyes I could see that she was covering her own and cowering away. "It's not like he'll ever be able to tell!"

"I like it," Vivian contributed, not very helpfully. I felt disheartened knowing that she couldn't see me roll my eyes at her, but the feeling of disdain was oozing off of me like oily black paint. She scowled and turned away.

"It's just for a little while," I alleviated, knocking my fist against its smooth surface. It almost  _felt_ like it was made of out glass, but the rock hardness suggested otherwise. It was ligther than I had expected, though, and stuck on my head incredibly easily. "I don't want to be dishonest about it. Besides, I owe him."  
They continued to grumble as we strode down the cobblestone path, only stopping when I heard a high-pitched, "Good morning, Snowcchi!" from behind me, and I turned to face Yaya-san decked out in the usual- a bib, bonnet, rattle, and extra ribbons in her hair and on her uniform. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me, an absolute mess of white hair and a monochromatic simpering mask. Dust actually poofed out behind her from how hard she hit the brakes, and her doe-eyes were wide and terrified.

"I am no longer afraid to die," she decided, and my groan was muffled by the mask. "Lord above, I await your loving embrace. Take me now before the Devil-"

"That's enough," I grunted, smacking a hand over her loud mouth. "It isn't  _that_ bad."  
"Not that bad? All day I'm going to be expecting you to pull a machete out of your bag, and I'm going to be very disappointed if you don't- but also thankful for my life."

I stared at her, which caused her to cower and try to drag the bonnet over her eyes so she couldn't detect the mask's probing gaze. I decided that I might be able to use it to my advantage. "When I snap, you'll be the first to go," I promised, and she squeaked and ducked further beneath the futile slip of fabric.

"What's up with your hair today?" She hedged warily as we started back down the walkway, our steps slapping against the stones' hard surfaces. "You look like you did the tango with a weedwhacker."

"You're a lot more harsh than you seem, huh."

She just shrugged. "Even though I don't want to, sometimes you can't help but grow up."

It got irritating that no one could see the dirty looks I was flashing them, but I expected Yaya-san to have enough tact to be able to detect that I was trying. "You're the last person I expected to hear that from. But if you must know, I just overslept." A pause. "Again."

"Ooh, ooh, lemme do it today!" I immediately put a firm distance between us. "Aww, come on! I'm good at it, and it'll only take a second! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"

"Okay, fine!" I snapped, my real face one of distress and fury. "But make it quick. The bell's going to ring soon, and I haven't been late once since I came here."

To her credit, she was surprisingly quick. But then again, all I could feel her doing was scraping my hair into high twin-pigtails, much like those of Utau-san's. Even though I had no mirror to illegedly admire her handiwork, I expected I looked like an abnormally tall, homicidal child. Happy Halloween.

However, when Yaya-san and I entered the school, I didn't feel as creepy and alienated as I had before. My mask was hardly the strangest one lost in a sea of screaming white faces or fiery red ogres. I grinned behind its smooth surface, actually appreciating its presence on my face, since it felt like I was actually a part of the school now. Even a few teachers were dressed up, like the math professor, Mr. Kenneth, decked out in old Englishman clothes, cravat and all, and an additional long black cape with a high collar and red inside. His jet hair was slicked back and revealed his pallid face and goldenrod eyes, and whenever he smiled and greeted passing students, fake fangs flashed within his mouth. That made a shiver course down my spine, reminding me too much of the suspicions I had of the attacks recently, and the wounds on the girl's neck in the park. I'd probably have to get used to that, since I would more than likely see plenty of vampire costumes today.

The Halloween hype continued through every one of my classes, as we watched a Tim Burton movie in English and Art, concocted potion-like fluids in Home Economics, and made some nasty green slime in Science that other students flung at each other. I made sure not to get in crossfire, which would've risked dirtying Lee's mask.

When the last bell monotonously chimed, signalling the end of school altogether, Mr. Nikaidou stopped me on the way out of the classroom. He looked odd, wearing a non-rumpled suit, tie, and having completely straight hair drawn back into a stern ponytail. But the effect was ruined when he smiled goofily at me, and said, "See, Himayuki-san, I dressed up today."

I appraised him up and down again, my eyebrows furrowing behind the mask. "Uhhh..."  
"Can you guess what I am?"

After a few moments of consideration, I smacked a fist in the palm of my hand and exclaimed, "An actually successful adult!"

"Bingo!" He laughed, and for the first time that day I was relieved he couldn't see my expression. I didn't want to hurt his feelings by looking at him with nothing but pity, since he was admitting that he was pretty much a dead-beat.

As I strolled out of the science room, aiming to head out of the back door of the school to reach the Royal Garden more easily, I was stopped in my tracks yet again by a teacher calling out my name. But this voice sounded deeper, more comfortable, and less like they were on helium. I hadn't ever spoken to them before from the time I had been at Seiyo Academy, but I knew who it was from Deryn pointing them out and saying they were her and Will's "guardian", for lack of a better term.

Mr. Kenneth was leaning against the outside of the school, on the red brick wall, the lethargic autumn breeze causing the end of the cigarette hanging from his mouth to flare up bright red. He was the very reason I thought Lee could've just been a very young teacher, since he looked to only be in the mid-twenties himself. The gel that had been slicking his hair back earlier that day had worn off, causing his wild perm of a hairdo to almost eclipse his eyes completely. I cocked my head to the side (which might have looked terrifying, considering the mask), wondering what he could possibly want from me. "Yes?" I asked politely, standing with completely straight posture beside him. That was my facade to put on in front of most teachers (excluding Mr. Nikaidou)- acting completely professional and ready for work, even when school was over.

He took one last drag of his cigarette before speaking, and I wondered if he was even allowed to be smoking on school property. But he seemed like the easygoing type of teacher who didn't really care what their students did in the meantime, so long as they got their work done. Plus, he looked after Deryn and Will- which was apparently a secret from the rest of the student body and staff- so he must've been a pretty carefree man. After he was done, he removed it from his mouth easily, and smushed it under the toe of his black loafers, smiling at me in a leisurely way that even reached his eyes. But the effect was lost on me when I stiffened, for I could see the fangs protruding from his mouth in an eerie fashion, which made his next words have a deeper meaning than he could really know.

"Be careful on your way home," he grinned easily, and my rigid posture relaxed a bit. He was essentially an older, more relaxed Will, with a natural charisma that charmed anybody he spoke to. Thus I was able to even smile at him, then when I realized he couldn't see it, I carefully pulled on the silk string of the mask and held it gently in my hands. When it was removed from my face, I smiled again, and smoothly said, "Thanks, I will." With that, I turned and began heading for the Royal Garden once again, my path finally unobstructed.

The other Guardians were already sitting at the table under the white gazebo, a small stack of papers standing idly by Tadase-kun, who was aptly dressed as a king- or maybe he had just Character Changed. But judging by his usual calm and peaceful expression, that was clearly not the case. Nadeshiko-san's and Kukai-kun's costumes were to be expected; she as a shrine maiden, he as a soccer player (which was more than likely just his uniform from the school's team). They looked up from the chatter upon hearing the sound of the glass conservatory's door open and shut with a dull, shifting thud, and each smiled upon seeing me in their own way.

"Anything new?" I asked idly as I pulled my chair back from the table with a scrape. I set my bag at my feet once I was firmly planted on the chair, and crossed one leg over the other while leaning back. I was never able to attend these meetings long, considering the time I had to be at work by, so they tried to get as much accomplished as they could while I was there by hurrying everything along. So we tended to just dive right into the important information, saving no time for idle chit-chat.

"Nothing in particular," Tadase-kun offered with a grin, but it soon fell once he seemed to consider something. "Except for the abnormal amount of X-Eggs this week. We've been investigating into it, but we have no idea where they could be coing from." His expression shifted from frustration to concern as he regarded me carefully, paying special attention to the purpley colour beneath my eyes. "I'm so sorry we're working you so hard, Hisayuki-san. It must be very tiring."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'd feel pretty useless if I wasn't doing anything. Besides, I'm happy to resolve any problems someone may have." The carefree grin on my face soured to more melancholy as I added, "It's better than letting their dreams just get crushed."

Nadeshiko-san's eyebrows drew down and her lips puckered, but she said nothing. She had been keeping a very close eye on me since we went out to the picnic and she had witnessed me at my worst, like she expected me to have a spontaneous breakdown any second. If that was the case, she was going to be disappointed. I was a master at coping with things... which might've been more believable if I wasn't having nightmares every night.

"That's true," Kukai-kun muttered with a grave nod of his head. "But we have to think back to what Hisayuki said at the picnic; if someone really is intentionally pulling out X-Eggs, and it's happening more and more frequently here, then doesn't that mean the culprit is someone on campus?"

My expression turned from pondering to austere. "I thought about that, as well, and it has to be right. From what you've told me, it's far too strange that X-Eggs just suddenly started popping up for it to be someone that's been here for a while."

"Or it could be," Nadeshiko-san piped in, "and they're only doing it now because they feel threatened by a new Guardian stepping in and purifying them all."

"But the question still remains: why?" Tadase-kun ran a hand through his light hair, causing it to grace his eyes and swirl slightly at the top of his head. I was suddenly very distracted by watching it fall lightly back into place, reminded of sunshine peeking out from dark clouds. "Even if they were threatened by Hisayuki-san, why would they choose to pull them out in the first place? What could they possibly hope to accomplish?"

When a sudden realization popped into my head, my entire posture went rigid, and my eyes widened with a hard look to them. Kukai-kun must've thought I was glaring at him, because he pressed a hand to his heart and looked about as wounded as a killdeer. "Whoa, what did I say?"

I made a disgusted noise in the back of my throat. "Not you, dummy. I just thought of something. If they feel threatened by the presence of a new Guardian, then... couldn't that mean they're working for Easter?"

Silence fell upon the Royal Garden then, thick and dark as sheets of rain. Even Yaya-san suddenly looked very severe and worried, when she had just been swinging her little legs back and forth under the table like a five-year-old. "That makes sense," Tadase-kun croaked, and he sounded like something had lodged in his throat. "Easter is constantly competing with us to find the Embryo, even if we don't know why. It's completely logical to think that they'd feel worried if a new Guardian who can Character Transform appeared. They'd want to increase their search and try pulling out more and more eggs if it turned out to be the Embryo." He then proceeded to pull out a thick, leather-bound notebook from his bag and scratch down notes furiously with a mechanical pencil.

With the tense atmosphere and maladroit quiet, I felt the need to lighten the atmosphere a touch. So I pulled out the holiday cupcakes from my bag, which immediately caused Yaya-san to launch herself at them and have her hand swat away.

"Ooh, those look delicious," Nadeshiko-san cheered, clapping her hands together. "Did you make them for us?"

Hearing it said out loud made me feel embarrassed that I had, so I only nodded and pushed them forward on the table. Even Tadase-kun took a break from his writing to chomp down on one, and I giggled when he had a smear of icing on the corner of his mouth, unusually messy and disorganized for him. He cocked his head to the side in concern, which only made my giggles transform into full-blown laughter from the childlike appearance he had taken on.

"What?" He demanded, too seriously for the sugar all over his face. The other Guardians had joined in, except Yaya-san and Kukai-kun weren't even trying to be discreet. His face began to take on this lovely shade of pink that reminded me of rose petals. "What is it? Why are you laughing?"

"Here," I said with a snort, unconsciosly reaching across the table to wipe it away. I felt him go taut beneath my touch, which was simply using my index finger to swipe it away, and it felt like skimming the surface of boiling water. Only when I pulled away but remained halfway across the table did I look up, and saw that his eyes were wide and unblinking, his cheeks now more scarlet than pink. In confusion, I looked around at the table and saw the looks of astonishment on each of their faces, and sat down with a gasp of horror and embarrassment.  _What the hell did I just do?_! I had just touched his face so casually and unabashedly, like I was...

"Well, geez," Kukai-kun muttered whilst scratching the back of his head. "Just watching you two makes me feel embarrassed."

"B-be quiet!" I snapped, unable to even look at Tadase-kun. "S-sorry, I didn't mean..."

Instead of sounding harsh and disgusted like I expected him to, he just laughed it off easily, though it sounded somewhat strained. "It's perfectly all right! I don't mind at all."

Yaya-san was scowling, her posture stiff and uncomfortable. "You guys should really save that kind of stuff for when you're alone."

A look dawned on Tadase-kun's eyes, as if he had just remembered something. "Oh! Speaking of being alone-"

"What?!" I squeaked, completely shocked at what he was implying. Mercifully, he chose to ignore me, which was kind in its own way.

With flourish, he pulled thin, rectangular pieces of paper from the pocket of his blue Guardian's cape, and smiled with the brilliance of sparkling diamonds. "I got some tickets to go to the aquarium tomorrow. Would you all like to come?"

I was unable to hear what everyone else was saying, for I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts. Having never been to an aquarium before, I was only left to wonder what kinds of fish and things could possibly be within the sparkling glass tanks. If I went, I would be able to see clownfish, sturgeon fish, manta rays... even sharks! I could see freaking sharks!  
The escalating pounding of my heart seemed to even cause my own body to rise as I bolted up from my chair and excitedly crowed, "I wanna go!" The smile on my face was wide and ecstatic, thinking of all the different colours and schools and unique traits of every kind of fish that would be there. From the way I appeared, I didn't seem one to be very interested in nature, but I actually loved learning more about the world I lived in, about the habits and lives of animals and habitats. So many things out there were interesting and begging to be explored, just like the fascinating red spider lilies that had always daunted me and beckoned me to see.

They were all giving me that same look they had just moments ago, one of shock and interest. When Kukai-kun burst out laughing at my appearance- which resembled a child with the excited grin and pigtails- I slid back in my seat and raised my knees to hide my blushing face in, humiliated and horrified at my immature behaviour. What was I even doing? I was acting like a spoiled brat, that's what. Even my Shugo Chara were busting a gut on the table at my abnormal behaviour.

"Of course you can go," Tadase-kun chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners from his wide smile. "You don't even have to say it. I'd be happy if you came along."

"It'll be a lot more interesting if Snowcchi's there!" Yaya-san tittered, her short pigtails bouncing up and down from laughter.

With a pout covering my face, I turned away from all of them to stare out ot the back of the Royal Garden as they continued to chuckle. In reality, I was flushed with pleasure from their words. It was almost like... they were saying it would be more fun if I came along. Or maybe that was just me being pretentious, and twisting their words into what I wanted to hear. However... it would be nice if they were true. If my presence was not only needed, but also wanted.

No one had ever treated me that way before.

Which was a bit sad, in its own way, but it only made the feeling all the more special.

Thus it was decided that tomorrow would be our grand adventure to the aquarium, and we would be meeting there at nine o'clock sharp. That seemed reasonable to me, even if it was a day off from school, since I had work in the afternoon and the aquarium is a popular place to go; it was usually quite packed, apparently. Judging from Tadase-kun's directions, it was a fair distance from my apartment, meaning that if I even attempted to walk there I would never make it. I felt guilty just thinking about asking Lee for a ride again, and wondered what I could ever do to make it up to him.

When the clock on my phone ticked its way to four in the afternoon, I excused myself for the day, thanking Tadase-kun for inviting me along. The smile he gave me in return made me feel like we were the only two people in the Royal Garden, and I was only able to gaze at him dazedly before I left. I only snapped out of it when Kukai-kun awkwardly cleared his throat, and I fled in embarrassment.

Besides Satsuki pointing out directions to East Side Mario's for me, the walk there was mostly silent, my footsteps lost in the roar of the city hustle and bustle around me. That left me to be distracted with my thoughts that always seemed to drift back to Tadase-kun and the unusual conduct I used around him sometimes. I had never touched anyone so easily or comfortably before. But with him, it was just so easy to lose my sense of self and give way to happiness. Just thinking about it made me blush and squirm, earning some concerned looks from Lilith and Vivian, but I paid them no mind. I was too lost remembering that look he always had in his eyes, so straightforward and unwavering. He never did anything halfway, and I admired that greatly. Unlike a certain  _someone_ I could mention (a certain cat-boy who looked like he did nothing all day but sleep and laze around, maybe).

Not to mention that he was always just so  _nice_ to me. I've never been treated to kindly by anyone except for Mary and my biological father. While Jack was nice to me, he treated me more like a teenage friend who he didn't mind hanging out with and teaching things, which is what I imagined the relationship between Mr. Kenneth and Deryn resembled. But having someone my own age act like that around me was entirely new, and it made me feel... I don't know... just happy, whenever I was around him. He had a good sense of humour about things, and an even stronger sense of justice.

By then I had reached my place of occupation, and was changing in the locker room, when I suddenly stopped pulling too-tight shirt on with a gasp. "Dear God," I muttered suddenly, catching the girls' attention.

Lilith threw her head back from resting on the small bench in the middle of the cramped, sterile space, and blinked at me curiously. "What is it?"

"Don't you think," I began, continuing to pull the shirt down that constricted my chest and exposed the straps of my bra through the black cotton, "that Tadase-kun is what people consider the  _perfect guy?_ " Lilith and Vivian groaned, but Satsuki bolted into a standing position with an ecstatic look on her face. She began nodding excitedly in agreement as I continued on. "I mean, think about it. He's just a nice guy without wanting anything in return, and he's stronger than he thinks he is. Plus, he's a cutie."

"He's more than cute," Vivian snorted suddenly, causing my hands to pause in braiding my hair into a herringbone. "You just fail to notice that because you see him in, like, a holy light." I frowned at her, but she continued to ignore me. "The guy's just plain hot. I think you'd notice that more if you looked at respective parts of him."

I slammed my body backwards against the lockers, making them all jolt in surprise. My face took an a bright, intoxicated hue of crimson, and my eyebrows screwed up in admonishment. "Th-that's gross!" I bumbled, smacking my hands against my face to chase unmentionable images away. "How could you even s-say something like that?! O-of course I wouldn't look  _there,_ of all-"

"YOU SICKO!" She screamed at me, making me jerk me face up from my hands and glare at her. "That's not what I was talking about at all! I was talking about his hands, or his jaw or something! What the hell's the matter with you?!"

If I was red before, I was near-purple now. "O-oh, I didn't realize..." They were all giving me this look of pure stupefaction, and I bashed my head against the lockers with a resounding, metallic bang. "I SERIOUSLY DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT STUFF AT ALL, I SWEAR!"

"I dunno," Lilith dragged out, and I could physically feel the smirk on her face. "I've seen you check out  _Ikuto's_ crotch more than once."  
"YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE NOT!" I was almost in tears, screaming and making my forehead get locker imprints in it from extensive bashing. The only time I was able to stop freaking out and actually wondering if I  _had_  ever looked in that direction was when Louise came to check on me, pure concern written all over her face. With fumbling words and erratic gestures, I explained that I was just talking to someone on the phone, and shoved the dastardly little perverts in my locker with a disgruntled huff and got to work.

That night at East Side was the busiest I had seen yet. I figured it was mostly because, in honour of the holiday, we had limited-time-only Halloween-themed alocholic beverages, and also considering that most of the patrons were adults fresh out of college. I had to admit that they were worth it, though; I never drank alcohol, since it was too bitter and just awful for me, but the drinks were relatively nice, sweet, and simple. I gave the mixologist my compliments after taking only one sip and handed the rest to Louise, who chugged it down in one swig. Even I was impressed at that.

Other than that, the work day was uneventful. My daily toll of swiped suckers was four at the end, without Mrs. Garrett catching on once. It just goes to show how abysmal and frankly embarrassing my criminal record was if I was so proud of myself for taking a few unnoticeable sweets. When I was giggling to myself whilst delvering more orders to the chef, I stopped when I realized that I felt so incredibly stealthy just by doing something the my coworkers did without batting an eyelash, then I pitied myself and slapped my palm against my face to let it slide down slowly. I was really kind of pathetic.

I clocked out a bit later than usual, and was about to text Lee that I was done when the devil called me as I was pulling on my shoes. With a frown worrying the corners of my mouth, I picked up with a cautious, "Hello?"

"Miss Snow." He sounded relieved and worried all at once. "I'm so sorry. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get off work to pick you up tonight."

I forced out a laugh and teased, "What happened to the whole 'I make my own rules' thing?" But in reality, my heart was rapidly plummeting towards the bottom of my stomach with a rush of cold, slimy fear. That meant I had to walk home. All alone. At night. Normally, I wouldn't have minded, even after the whole stranger danger incident, but with the suspicion of some creep prowling around, sucking blood from young people, well... I considered my dread to be completely justified.

Lee barked out a chuckle in return, though it sounded just as strained. "Mostly just to impress you."

"And how's that working out for you?"

"Not too well, apparently. I don't suppose you'd be willing to catch a ride with a coworker?" Only after a few moments of silence with my eyebrows raised challengingly did I realize that he couldn't see it, but he was already speaking again. "I figured as much," he sighed. "Can you promise me something, then?"

I narrowed my eyes in dubiousness, and responded, "Depends on what it is," with an edge to my voice.

"Well, you know that mask I lent you today?"

I dropped my shoed-up foot to the ground with a harsh thud, my face paling. "Where are you going with this?"

He held his breath for a moment, and I could hear the sound of hushed voices and furious clacking on keyboards behind him. Instantly I felt guilty for eating up so much of his time that he could've been utilizing to work, but then he let it out all in a rush. "I'd like you to wear it on the way home. I'd feel much more reassured if no one could see your e- your face, what with all the ne'er-do-wells hanging around and causing mischeif tonight."

I heaved a sigh and rested an elbow on my knee, leaning my chin into my palm. "Well, since you used the word 'ne'er-do-well', I have no other choice, do I?"

He blew out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I feel much more reassured now."

"Sure," I mumbled, feeling slightly aggravated that I'd have to cart around that creepy thing for a bit longer. But really, what was the harm if it kept him at ease? It was kind enough of him to be worrying about me in the first place. Plus, its oddity may actually help to keep any suspicious figures away. "I'll make you dinner when I get home, okay? Just come and get in whenever you're done; I'll be staying up later tonight." With the stimulating agenda for tomorrow and the added nightmares that would more than likely be plaguing me tonight, I figured sleep was a luxury that my subconscious was dangling over my head and laughing as I jumped up and up in futility, trying to reach it.

"Oh really? Why?" He asked, and I heard a shuffle as he must've shifted his cell phone to cradle it between his shoulder and ear, from the way I heard a sudden clacking of a keyboard at close proximity. I didn't want to be rude by hurrying the conversation along, as if talking to him was a bother, but I also didn't want to further distract him from his work. I shrugged to my Shugo Chara, who were ruffled-looking fresh from my locker, as if to say  _What conundrums I get myself into!_

"It's a teacher's work day," I explained, standing from the aged wooden bench and backing out of the change room whilst using my backside to push the door open. I nodded to Louise and Mrs. Garrett on my way out with a smile, and the latter made the 'I'm-watching-you' signal at me. Before I set to walking, I lingered just outside of the bustling restaurant to hurry the conversation along but still stay in obvious sights- too obvious for any cretins to attempt to sneak up on me. "So I don't have school tomorrow. And I'll be going out with my friends to the aquarium." The F word came to me so easily now that I couldn't keep the cockamamie grin off my face.

"That sounds like fun," he offered, sounding genuinely interested. "The aquarium here's pretty nice- big, too. I bet you'll have fun... unless you have some strange phobia of fish."

I barked out a laugh, catching the attention of a couple strolling idly by me. They smiled at me as if they understood who and what I was talking about, and I realized the look and actions I was giving off made it seem like I was talking to, well, a  _boyfriend._ I blushed and bit my bottom lip, causing the girl to laugh and snuggle further into her partner's arm. I felt that brief flash of envy I always did when observing the happiness of others in love, wanting to experience such a thing for myself one day.

"No ichthyophobia here," I continued, bringing the mask out of my bag with a snort at its malevolent grin. "But I don't want to keep you from your very important work any longer. See you later?"

"For sure," he agreed cheerily, sounding far more at ease then than he had at the beginning of the call. "Be careful."

I smiled when I touched my thumb to the touch screen to hang up, and it remained on my face even as I reached around my head to tie the string of the mask in a tight bow. Before I set off, I took a deep, steeling breath, then took a step away from the safety of the warm lights and chatter of the restaurant.

Every face I passed took on either a laughing or freaked-out expression, and by the time I had already made it to the halfway point to the apartments- which Vivian had marked as a lingerie store with a pastel coloured awning hanging over it- I was about ready to turn around and flip the world the bird. Even so, there were still some faces remaining in costume, be it in skimpy, oversexualized women's wear that meant a night at the night club, or just some pure white foundation with large red smiles painted on, clowns wandering and striking fear into the joints of my bones. I'd always hated clowns. Hence being turned off when faced with the jester's mask.

I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw the towering apartments' lights twinkling in the distance, the north star guiding me home, when a touch on my shoulder made me freeze and shivers rack my entire frame. It was a touch I was unfamiliar with, that was for sure, with a hand that seemed too wide to belong to a female or a guy I knew... adding on to the fact that I felt the stinging pressure of  _claws_  on my collarbone.

 _It's just a costume,_ I assured myself without turning around, my breath approaching the hyperventilating stage.  _They're just wearing some clawed gloves for a Halloween costume is all. But... that doesn't change the fact that a complete stranger wants something with me._

My next shiver was more of an attempt to shake the pernicious touch away, but the grip only tightened and tried pulling me back, closer to them. My feet were planted firmly to the ground, not at all willing to give, and I clenched my teeth within the mask. The only indication that whoever was behind me was no neighbourhood welcoming commitee was the horrified and- quite frankly-  _petrified_ looks on the girls' faces.

"Why don't you come with me for a while," said the person behind me. Calling it a voice would've been too kind; it was a combination of a deep-throated growl and a hiss, the sound of nightmares come to life. For the very first time in, well, ever, I felt like the breath that touched my neck with their words was actually  _cold-_  though I was positive that was just my heebie-jeebies getting the better of me. "It would be in your bessst interessst not to resissst, hmmm, girlie? Jussst ssstep back and out of sssight and I promissse not to hurt you."

With the intention of using some impromptu self-defense that only consisted of a swift kick to the groin, I whirled around with a murderous expression hidden beneath the mask, which matched the one of the stranger behind me. I barely even got a look at their face- but what I did see was enough to make me stop in my tracks. It was surely the face of death, with tightened gray skin clinging to every sunken-in bone of the structure, the only sign of hair a slight tumbleweed of white whisping on top of their head. Their eyes reminded me of a snake's, with a completely straight black pupil and something that looked distinctly familiar- a bright ring of colour around the pupil within the otherwise film-coloured gaze.

But just as I froze and my legs locked up in pure terror, they wrenched their grasp away with a sound that resembled induced vomiting (you know, like "heeeaagggccch"). The look on my face was taken aback, and even insulted, as they reared back a step and then- horrifyingly enough-  _stooped into a low bow._

"Forgive me," they- wait,  _it_ might've been a more accurate word- warbled gutterallly, stooping upwards into a hunchback. "I did not realize that you were of the Stiria. I will be grateful if you were to give me my life."

It was motherfucking shaking. In  _fear_. It was scared of me. No, wait- not me. The  _mask._  Well, God, I didn't realize it was that freakish. And what da heck was da  _ssstiria?_ The way it was pronounced made it seem like a proper noun, the correct name of something- or worse yet, an STI.

"Um, go away?" I whispered shakily. The sunken-in face sagged even more in relief, and it thanked me one more time with a deep bow before scuttling away into the darkness.

... WHAT THE FU-

"Home," Lilith said, interrupting the stream of cuss words that were about to unfemininely explode from my mouth. "Right now. Don't look behind you, not once, you hear me? Go straight home and keep your eyes trained straight ahead."

She didn't need to tell me twice. I was gone.

By the time I reached my apartment, not looking back even in the elevator, I collapsed against the door of my room with a gasp ripping from my throat. With trembling, sweaty hands, I undid the bow holding the mask to my face as quickly as possible to find sweat dotting my brow, not from speed walking, but from the red-hot flashes of panic and terror sweeping through my entire body like it was being dunked into boiling water, time and time again. I scrubbed a hand down my face and laid completely on the floor, my face pressing against the cool, smooth wood and letting the shadows and their haunting images punch repeatedly against my eyelids.

Some...  _thing_  had wanted me to come with it, and said it was in my best interest not to struggle. What  _was_ it? What did it want? I knew that it could've been a costume; the likelihood was very probable, especially on tonight of all nights. However... it just seemed all to  _real_. The skin was clinging to its face, a desperate last-ditch attempt to not fall off, and its eyes... I squeezed my eyes shut and hissed a shuddering breath from my mouth. They looked like  _mine._  A dark, old colour like dried blood with a bright yellow around the pupil. The colours the different, but... the similarity was there. And it had been so scared of what it saw on the mask, it had  _begged_ for forgiveness. For its life.

"What's going on?" I almost sobbed into the floor. I felt three tiny pressures on the back of my head, the girls hands pressing into it soothingly. "Why can't I just understand? Why won't these things just  _go away?_ "

"Snow," Vivian whispered. Her voice broke on the 'oh' of my name, like she was about ready to burst into horrible, racking sobs. "Snow, you're okay. You're home. You're safe here."

"I'm scared." Each of their comforting touches froze with sharp intakes of their breath. "Demon foxes calling me a monster, vampires roaming about the city, little creatures acting like they were scared of me..." I felt my body physically recoil, like I could shove away all the freezing cold terror that made my chest seize up and my breath close up my throat. "I just want to be normal. I want to be normal!"

Only one of them was able to remain completely calm and rational about the whole break-down: Satsuki. When I looked into her expression after I heard her float over my head and land softly in front of me, it was as blank as the face of the full moon.

"Calm down," she said, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "Take deep breaths." I hesitated, then did as she said, my crashing heart beginning to slow in my chest and give me room to breathe. "Now drink some ice water, Snow. It'll help you now more than ever."

With shaking, wobbly legs that almost caved beneath me more than once, I stumbled to the kitchen and chugged down water with chunks of ice not made by me down in one gulp. I swiped my mouth with the back of my hand and drank even more, feeling my body and head cool down comfortably enough that the sweat on my forehead and the back of my neck began to dry again.

"Now," she began again, a strangely emotionless smile on her face. "Do you have any ideas on what you're going to wear tomorrow?"

It was obvious she was trying to get my mind away from everything. A day alone with my friends, with no evil or shadows clinging to my side, would be just the thing, apparently. I would be distracted by looking at the wonderful different kinds of fish. By Kukai-kun being cheeky as always, and by Tadase-kun's immeasurable kindness. By Nadeshiko-san's beautiful, lady-like smile, and Yaya-san's sparkling orange eyes. Eventually, all the thoughts flying through my head left me standing completely still in the kitchen, my eyes clouded and unfocused. I could do this. For just a little longer, I could ignore all of the things right out of a horror movie creeping up behind me at every turn. Until it was completely futile not to anymore.

"I have some ideas," I said out loud, my voice ringing hollow. Lilith and Vivian sagged in relief, and Satsuki's smile became genuine rather than forced.

But there was one thing about that night I would never be able to ignore; Lee's mask, whatever it was, had seriously saved my ass.

 

* * *

 

Saying I had "some ideas" for an outfit last night was a gross understatement. I had to change ten times before I was satisfied, but I was still left shifting nervously and uncomfortably under the unforgiving glare of the sun, waiting for the other Guardians in front of Procella Aquarium. As the minutes ticked by, the volume of the crowd streaming into the large, state-of-the-art white brick building kept increasing, meaning the number of gazes I caught was something to revere, as well. I swiped my bangs away from my face for the millionth time, since I had taken the rare effort of blow drying my hair upside-down to add height to it, and also because I needed something to busy my anxious hands with. Was I early? Would they be there soon? I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to last under direct view of the sun, even with my sunglasses giving nothing from my eyes away to the speculating crowd beside me.

Immense relief coursed through me when a languid autumn breeze grazed my bare legs. I had opted for a high-waisted black skirt rather than pants after thoroughly inspecting the weather report for that day with Lee munching spaghetti beside me on the island, commenting that I should probably wear light clothing if I was sensitive to the heat. His advice was heeded greatly, and the rest of my outfit consisted of a black and white thin striped shirt tucked into the skirt, a black infinity scarf wound around my neck just twice, a thin, light brown belt around my waist, black and white patent shoes, and finally, a small black purse hanging from my shoulder. I was aiming for monochromatic to reflect the conflicting emotions raging within my gut like a wild storm, and even won Vivian's approval. Now my heart was beating erratically as I wondered if I was trying too hard, or if it looked like I was dressed up for a date rather than just a hang out. While we had gone on that picnic last Sunday, we were officially showing up in public together, as friends rather in classmates. I figured it was that fact that caused heat to ride to my face more than just being nervous about what I was wearing.

"Try to relax," Lilith hissed, poking her fiery head out from my purse. "Just be yourself, Snow. Everything will be fine."

"Will we see penguins?" Satsuki wondered to herself, her strange behaviour from last night now a thing of the past. "I really hope there will be penguins. I think I can die happy if there are penguins."

"I'm looking forward to the  _sharks_ ," Vivian snickered wickedly. "To seeing all those chompers and those cute, beady little eyes..." She actually shivered in anticipation. "I can hardly wait!"

"How about you, Viv?" I whispered so not as to attract attention, reaching inside the purse to prod her lightly and search for spearmint gum at the same time. She handed it to me, her hands brushing lightly against my fingertips as she pushed the metallic wrapper into my palm, and I unwrapped it and began chewing mechanically as she responded.

"Jellyfish," she said, making all of us get a shocked expression on our faces. "What? I think they're cute."

"You would think that," Lilith muttered, and I chose to start ignoring them yet again and disregard the strange looks I got from the sudden rustling and intense motion in my purse while both hands were at my sides. I smiled bitterly as I chewed my gum, which made it look more sardonic than anything, and I wondered if anything in my life would ever be normal again. When I heard Vivian start screaming a few choice words at her devillish sister, and Satsuki openly sobbing at the both of them, I decided, nope, probably not.

All those things were shoved to the very back of my burning mind when I saw Tadase-kun suddenly appear on the sidewalk, his openly blank yet polite expression brightening into a wide grin when he saw me. You could almost hear the sound of an arrow being pulled taught against a bow and being shot straight through my heart when I saw it, and all I could do in return was give this weird, nervous half-smirk and halfheartedly life my hand in return. Thank God that my sunglasses were covering my eyes; the last thing he probably wanted to see was them bulging out of my head.

Only one thing was running through my mind, frantic as a wailing naked baby, as he approached me with an easy, comfortable stride, like we had been friends for years rather than weeks; and it was what Vivian had mentioned last night. That I couldn't really see Tadase-kun as a guy because I was too distracted by putting him on a pedestal and essentially worshipping the ground he walked on. Which was... not entirely false, but I still felt the need to prove her wrong, all the same. And so I took her advice of focusing on more individual parts of him to make myself more aware of his presence.

Which is exactly what I shouldn't have done. As I came to note things that made him non-effeminate, like his hands that were significantly larger than mine, his shoulders that were broader than they had originally seemed, and his jaw that was surprisingly sharp and, well, highschool-quarter-back-like, my face became hotter than the surface of the sun beating down on my head and singing it to bits. Now I was  _painfully_ aware of the fact that he was a guy, that he was now standing right in front of me, only about a centimeter taller, and grinning down at me like I was the best present he had ever received on Christmas morning.

"Good morning, Hisayuki-san," he greeted cheerfully, his hands twitching at his sides like he wasn't sure what to do with them. He was dressed normally enough, in simple blue jeans and a beige pea coat, but it still made me unusually nervous just to see him in regular clothes. With the rest of the Guardians around, it was usually hard to notice, but since we were alone...

I gulped down the skittish burning that had ignited in my throat, and announced awkwardly loudly, "Good morning, Tadase-kun!" And internally cringed. People actually turned around to glance and whisper again, and I would've kicked myself repeatedly if I wasn't already drawing attention.

But instead of giving me the strange look all the passerby were, he just gave me that same friendly grin, the one that made me burn more than the sun. "Were you waiting long?" He asked, looking a bit sheepish.

 _Oh God,_ I thought to myself.  _The legendary question. Play it cool, Snow, play it cool, you know what to say..._  "A little bit," I said with a noncommittal shrug.  _Genius._

A line was created between his eyebrows as they furrowed in regret. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, and I was completely frozen in place with a creepy clown-like smile when he pressed his hand to my forehead. It took all of my strength not to tear away and collapse to the ground in mortification. "You feel a bit hot."

Since I didn't trust myself to do it aloud, I mentally took a deep, relaxing breath, and easily waves his concerned touch away. "I'm fine, really," I said, that same insane smile plastered on my face. "It's not your fault we're stuck waiting out here so long, anyway." To try and play it cool, I shifted my weight to one hip and placed a hand on it, an irritated pout contorting my features. "Where are the others, anyway? I thought you would've come together."

Suddenly Tadase-kun's face was turning that same shade of rose that seemed to haunt his light cheeks whenever he felt embarrassed, and he was far more meek than before. "Actually, um, they aren't coming."

Now it was my turn for my eyebrows to crease. "What?" I asked, unable to keep the disappointment from my voice. "Why?"

"They all had other things to do," was all he said, suddenly fascinating by a blob shaped cloud off in the distance.

Well, so much for a fun, relaxing day. I tried not to let my shoulders droop when the fantasies of laughing and looking at colourful aquatic life together were dashed from my mind. Considering they were the first real friends I'd ever had, I'd wanted to spend as much time with them as possible and bond whenever we could. Any day that wasn't able to happen felt like an entire hour lost on the clock of my life. I bit down on my lip lightly, restricting a sigh that threatened to explode from my throat, and forced a grim smile. "Should we just go, then?" I asked.

Screams of protest erupting from my purse startled the both of us, and I swat the side of it to shut them up. Kiseki stared at me approvingly from his master's side, and I was glad that they couldn't see the look of loss that was surely reflected in my gaze.

Tadase-kun tilted his head to the side curiously, which made his light bangs grace over his eyes and shield one from view. "Why on earth would we do that?" He asked, startling me dumb.

"Well, since it's only the two of us-"

"What's wrong with it just being us?" He asked quietly, sounding a bit affronted. "I'm perfectly fine spending time with just you." His head jerked in the direction of the glossy building that threw beams of sunlight back at us with his easy smile. "Can't we?"

 _Just you... just you... just you..._  Those words echoed again and again in my mind until I was able to fully register what they meant with an almost audible click. "What?" I squeaked, and just as I began thinking of spending so much time alone with just Tadase-kun, more startled yelps came from my purse when a Group Love song started blaring from my phone, indicating I had a text. I held up my index finger to Tadase-kun, who smiled and politely looked away.

My eyes widened upon seeing the sender: Yaya-san. I quickly unlocked it with a swipe of my thumb to demand where the heck they were when I saw what is was she sent in full.

All it said was "Good Luck", and there was a picture of her, Kukai-kun, and Nadeshiko-san all simpering and giving a thumbs-up.

Tadase-kun was incredibly blessed to be looking away at that moment, since he didn't have to see me clench my phone so hard it almost broke in two with the most nefarious and muderous smile on my face.  _YOU IDIOTS._

He turned back to me with a curious smile just as I finished texting back "YOU GUYS ARE WADS". With almost inhuman speed, I chucked the phone back in my purse, earning a cry of pain from Lilith, and grinned innocently. "Yeah, sure, let's go!" I chirped, sounding more at ease than I felt. In reality my heart was doing a feverish and frantic dance in throbbing strobe lights that broke into a seizure when he smiled again and lead the way to the long lineup outside of the glass double doors.

Okay, so we were going to be alone. For a while. I could deal with that. As we entered the building that was singificantly less hot than outside, earning a sigh of relief from me, I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head only to catch him giving me that same intense but elated look. Despite the interior of the aquarium being dark to accommodate the fluorescent lights from the various and spacious tanks, I slowly slid them down over my eyes again so he wouldn't have been able to register the incredibly frenzied look I had on my face in return. I flashed him a quick thumbs-up and shaky grin, to which he responded with a laugh that made his eyes crinkle at the corners- and me want to shoot myself.

 _What are we going to talk about?_  I thought anxiously as I worried my bottom lip yet again.  _What are we even going to do? Are we literally just going to stare at fish and not even talk? That seems more awkward than any of those "moments" we've shared._ I was so distracted with internally screaming and scratching my stupid face off that I didn't even notice when he handed the receptionist our passes and flashed a smile back at me. "Hisayuki-san?" He inquired politely. "We can go in now."

"Oh. Oh okay." I was an idiot. This time I took off my glasses and handed them determinedly to Satsuki in my purse just before they flew out, ready to focus all my efforts on making sure that Tadase-kun didn't regret hanging out with me today.

All of my resolutions instantly dissolved upon seeing the first tank of brightly coloured fish, the aquarium lights dancing across their scales like laser lights. A grin split my face so much I thought my mouth would bleed, and I bolted up next to the tank that covered an entire, royal blue wall, completely intrigued with watching them swim around in an almost synchronized routine and open and close their mouths in large 'Os'.

"They're so  _cute,_ " I gushed with a giggle as I took in not only the fish, but the elaborate scenery around them. It was meant to mimic the ocean, with fabricated coral reefs and seaweed shimmied to the lapping rythm of the water. Tadase-kun's presence behind me was still making me hyperaware, small flares of heat coursing down my back where he stared, but when I turned around with that same ecstatic grin on my face, he stood beside me and gazed out at the marine life as well, a peaceful expression on his face.

"They really are," he murmured, but he was looking at me from the corner of his eye. I blushed furiously but held his gaze, and soon the both of us were chuckling, completely at ease and amicable since the first time we had met.

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

It was one of those days when the thought of napping on the roof of the towering Easter corporation building was impossible to resist.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi languorously stretched out his long arms against the sizzling, slate-coloured pavement of the roof, the hum of industrial instruments and air conditioners a melody that lulled him to sleep every time he lounger up there. The sun was dazzling, so much so that he had even opted for sunglasses that day, but he had ditched the dark jacket he had worn earlier to serve as a blanket to laze on without a care in the world. He felt so warm, so relaxed, that he was mildly surprised to find that he was still awake. But that was most likely because Yoru relentlessly buzzed around him, an annoying fly constantly caught in his trap of a gaze, making complete relaxation impossible.

"I'm bored," he would whine, time and time again as he rolled all over the pavement, the complete opposite of his owner who was perfectly content with losing himself to slumber. "I wanna do something fun, Ikuto. Let's  _do_ something."

The dark-haired boy would only grunt in response and turn so he was facing away from the small, annoying cat Chara. Granted, it wasn't like Yoru's present went completely unappreciated; frankly, Ikuto didn't know where he'd be without it. But things had changed since he was a kid, eager for the taste of adventure, experience, freedom. Now he would take whatever chance he got to just let his mind free of its dark cage that it was constantly imprisoned in. He just wanted  _peace._

But when a soft, feminine voice he recognized instantly called, "Ikuto?", he groaned inwardly and knew that was now impossible.

Utau Hoshina was at his side before he could even respond, her light silk strands of hair dusting across his face in the cool, refreshing breeze. It tickled his nose, but he made no sign of showing it; he was trying to maintain the facade of being completely unconcious, as she knew he was more than likely to be on a gorgeous autumn day such as this. But this time she wasn't buying it; she laid a hand on his side, almost too warm when combined with the sun's heat, and shook him slightly. "Ikuto, come on. Wake up."

"No way," he said softly, so quiet she had to lean in to hear him. He further curled in on himself, conserving as much warmth as possible as a more chilled wind cut through the peace of the day, one arm resting beneath his head and the other curled around himself. "I'm too sleepy."

With an irritated huff, she sat back on her knees, and he could just imagine the familiar way her violet eyes were snapping with his languid attitude. It reminded him a lot of someone else he knew, someone who would  _definitely_ make sleep impossible. "You've been acting weird lately," she grumbled, lightly tugging on the hem of his shirt. He didn't bother pulling away.

"Oh really," he droned, his eyes remaining closed despite her presence. "Do enlighten me on this sudden theory."

"It's not sudden," she protested, her velvety voice broaching on anger. "You've been acting strange ever since a few weeks ago. Since..."

She didn't even have to say it. The words stilled on the tip of her tongue, and he continued to essentially ignore her presence. She could make of it what she would; he wasn't going to reveal any information on his escapades with a certain white-haired teenager who happened to be their worst nightmare. Although he would never admit it aloud, those were the only times when he could truly forget his worries, even for a short period of time. Being in her presence was intriguing, considering that it actually made him feel alive- electrified, even. But there was something else about her that made him interested, that made him want to see how far he could push and tease her until something fragile broke and she showed him a truly entertaining show. While it was straightforward and dazzling, her gaze was like that of a venomous snake's, her strange eyes watching every movement like she could strike at any second. Just thinking about it made him grin slowly in anticipation.

Utau Hoshina didn't bother asking what he was thinking about as she observed a smile curl up on his face, the emotion in it frightening but unreadable. She was at a total loss as to why he'd even pay attention to someone like  _her._  When Ikuto and Snow Hisayuki had first met, he had reported it to Easter whilst withholding some details, but Utau fell into shock when she caught a glimpse of his face. It was an expression she hadn't seen on him for a very long time, a sparkle in his eyes she thought had been extinguished long ago. Something about that girl, whatever it was, seemed to bring out the child he had abandoned all those years ago, and it made him... well, happy. That was what irritated her more than anything.  _She_  should've been the only one able to bring him happiness. Why did it have to be some freaking Albino Amazon who always had a fierce and toxic look about her.

After having heard her name and the fact that there was a possibility she'd be giving birth to some new Guardian Eggs from Ikuto, Utau had taken it upon herself to do her own research on the girl. It just so happened that she had seen her wandering about the town, the long white hair and tall, skinny frame easily recognizable, a lost look about her. She had two Shugo Chara with her, which shocked Utau beyond belief. It was rare enough for people to have  _one._  She had ended up following her into the Winners of Akutetsu City, and kept it up until she was discovered by that probing, predatory gaze. Even though she would never admit it, she  _did_ feel intimidated by her; and it wasn't just that her personality changed Ikuto in a way she could not. It was that shadow that was always cast over her face, those points on the top and bottom of her pupils that made them almond-shaped and cat-like. It was the indiscernible phantom of darkness that plagued her like a shadow. There was something more to that girl than she lead on, and it wasn't just that her Guardian powers were stronger than most; there was something sinister beneath the surface, and it seemed that no one else had noticed it yet. That meant it was up to her to get her away from Ikuto before he could realize it- and potentially get hurt.

She would never allow him to be hurt again.

Aloud, she asked with an agitated expression, "Why are you so interested in Snow Hisayuki?" The dark form in front of her shifted in a motion that could've been considered a shrug if he had been paying attention. "Is it because she has the Humpty Lock that matches your key?"

Like a premonition, the key attached to the white velvet case for his violin caught the sunlight and sent prisms shooting out of it, as if it was winking. It was the exact same design as the lock Snow Hisayuki bore around her neck whenever she was spotted, made of a substance identical to glittering gold and the face of it four diamond clover leaves. It was apparent that no one knew where the two mystical objects came from, but it was obvious they were a pair.

Utau sincerely hoped it wasn't a representation of what  _her_  Ikuto and Snow Hisayuki would become.

However, Ikuto made no sign of acknowledgement, which irked her enough to push on even further. "Or is it something entirely different?" She practically spat, her eyebrows drawing down enough that shadows were cast across her face, making her seem more demonic than ever. Still, there was no response, and her hands twitched into talons. She wanted to physically hurt something whenever she thought of him taking an interest in her for unbeknownst reasons. Snow didn't deserve him; she was just another disease trying to infect him, as far as Utau was concerned.

"She's just an idiot," Utau grumbled under her breath, fisting her hands the black skirt of her uniform. Her pale hands seemed to reflect the sunshine like her companion's mirrored sunglasses, which she glared at as her knuckles became white. "She thinks she so mature, just because she's a bit older an overly tall. All she does is laugh like an idiot-"

"She doesn't laugh," Ikuto grunted suddenly, making her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded, horrified that he may have been paying more attention to her than she thought. "Whenever I see her, she has some ridiculous and idiotic smile on her face, like she doesn't give a damn about anything."

"I didn't say that she was humourless," he objected, shifting slightly so it appeared as though he was looking at her, but it was impossible to tell with the sunglasses. "She does laugh all the time, but it's hard to consider it that. She giggles. And not even a cute 'heehee' giggle, but more like 'hurhurhur'." He started to shake and pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh at her expense at a memory Utau was infuriated by realizing that he had.

Utau was speechless. She knew that he spoke to her more than any other girl, that he liked being with her enough not to care what Easter said about it, but she hadn't realized he'd been paying  _that_ much attention to her. How many times had they met and shared a laugh she hadn't even realized he still possessed the strength to show? How many times had she made him smile that devastatingly charming grin of his, when she wasn't able to see it? Just  _how much_ did he really like her?

Too exasperated to even continue on with the conversation, Utau rose from her seat beside him and glared down at his dark form as he rolled over to face away from her again. She was about to expel a large huff and leave when his cat Shugo Chara floated curiously up to her, his mouth twisted into an intrigued smirk.

"Hey," he began easily, ignoring the glower she shot him. "By key that 'matches the Humpty Lock', do you mean that?" One large, dark midnight cat paw indicated that he meant the key sparkling in the sunlight, each shine catching in his eyes like a fish darting through water. "What's the lock?" He continued, his ears twitching in the wind. "What happens when... you put the lock and key together?"

Utau really did huff angrily this time, not even wanting to think about Snow and Ikuto getting close enough that they cared to experiment that occurrence. "How should I know," she growled before storming off. The heavy metal door closed behind her with an ear-shattering slam.

With a disgruntled snort, Yoru turned his attention back to the coruscating key, looking back and forth between it and his master, apparently lost in thought. He knew exactly what he was thinking about- or rather,  _who_ \- which in return made him think of the same person. The owner of the Humpty Lock. If no one knew what happened when they came together, then...

Not even Yoru's breath was to be heard as he discreetly unwound the key from the strap of the violin case and hung it around his neck. It weighed far more than he assumed, and he was momentarily dragged down in a flash of panic when he attempted to float away, but he struggled and made it into the air, allowing himself to snicker only when out of earshot. Putting the lock and key together...

...could prove to be the most interesting show yet.

 

* * *

 

It was only when hours had passed in the aquarium that I realized I was acting like a complete idiot.

Throughout the whole time Tadase-kun and I were there, all I did was literally look at fish and excitedly spout the displayed facts back to him, which he carefully considered and offered his own opinion- by far the sweetest gesture he had ever done. He put up with my whims for so long, answered any questions I had, and directed me to the places he'd thought I'd like to visit the most. I was essentially I child being lead around by a father figure without any regard to the experience he was having, which was totally and completely rude and uncalled for, in hindsight.

The epiphany came to me when were hanging around the shark tanks and displays, and I was immaturely humming the theme to  _Jaws_  underneath my breath. I looked back at him to point out their funny-looking eyes- seeming to be almost pure black with a white semi-circle around them whenever they glanced in a different direction- when I saw that his smile was completely at ease and relaxed, and he even seemed amused just to be watching me. With a gasp that cut off my cheerful song (which it was hardly supposed to be), I whirled back around to the shark tank and considered throwing myself to them. What the hell was the matter with me? Here I was, excited to finally get some quality time to build a decent friendship, but all I was doing was whatever I wanted, just like a spoiled brat. I clenched my hands into fists and bit down hard on my lip, shaking with effort as to not punch myself in the face.

The girls- now released from the prison of my purse and assuming their position floating by my shoulder- heaved synchronized sighs. "You think she finally realized it?" Lilith grumbled, trying to hide a snicker- and failing miserably.

"Shut up," I hissed, as quietly as possible so I didn't bother Tadase-kun for what could've been the millionth time that day. "So I got a little ahead of myself. Big deal." I inhaled deeply, held my breath, caught a shark making eyes at me, and released it in one large gasp. "From now on it's about him. We're gonna do whatever he wants."

"But-" Viv said, a pout gradually contorting her usually stoic face. "...Jellyfish..."  
"Tough."

"Why don't you try t be more like that?" Satsuki began politely, pointing at something just to the right of me. I glanced over surreptitiously and saw a couple standing not six feet away, their arms wrapped around each other's waists, laughing and having a grand old time. I stared at them for a moment, then turned back to Satsuki with raised eyebrows.

"Because they're on a date," I said simply. "They're a couple. We're not."

Her electric blue eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "That's not what this is?"

I hesitated. "No?" It came out like a question.

"Are you an idiot?" The darkest of the sisters scoffed, rolling her dark orchid eyes heavenward. "Think about it. The other Guardians left you to alone on purpose after you had that little thing yesterday. You're essentially alone- excluding us- and everyone else is off in their own world. You're just here having fun, not doing Guardian business." Her eyes narrowed. "If this isn't a date, what the heck is it?"

An innocent fish startled and swam away so fast it only left bubbles in its wake when it saw the expression on my face. My gaping mouth must've seemed like I was trying to eat it or something, my red face resembling a snapper's. "Oh my god," I began quietly, throwing a glance over my shoulder at Tadase-kun. He had his head tilted up to gaze at the tank that arched over us and left patterns of dancing ripples all over the floor, at the white bellies of the sharks and their tales. "This  _is_ a date! MY FIRST DATE!" The last part was whisper-screamed in pure agony and astonishment, and I felt compelled to burst into tears. "I can't believe I didn't notice it! How immature can I get?!"

With a snort at the interrobang, Lilith twirled a tendril of scarlet around her finger and gazed at me serenely. "It's not your first date. What about when you went to see  _The Avengers_ with Mao in theatres?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "That wasn't a date. Just because it was the two of us and he bought me popcorn and did the arm-stretch thing..." I felt the blood drain from my face, then rise up all over again. "Jesus  _Christ._ "

"Do you think Tadase-sama has realized it?" Satsuki pondered aloud, which earned a derisive chuckle from Vivian.

"More than likely. He has more tact than this airhead."  
By airhead, she was clearly referring to me. I glared out at a hammerhead shark, who couldn't even attempt to meet my gaze as it lazily swished its fin about. "What should I do?" I asked, my voice a horrified whisper.

"Apologize for being a dickhead?" Lilith suggested.

After a moment of silent consideration, I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

When I turned back to face Tadase-kun, he was already looking at me and grinning ear-to-ear, making my heart swell in a mixture of guilt and... something else. I tried to return it, but it must've come out looking more like the Joker, since his eyebrows furrowed with worry and he stepped closer to me, lowering his voice so that only I could hear.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked, sounding not only concerned but also like... he felt bad. That I wasn't feeling well. I resisted the urge to grab his shoulders and yell that nothing about my current mood was his fault, and shook with the effort.

"I'm feeling fine..." I said, then sighed and tried being honest for once. "Well, no, that's not actually true. I just... I'm sorry!" He reeled back in shock at my sudden apology, even though I couldn't see it from the way I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth. "The only thing I've done throughout the entire time here was being a selfish... dummy." Tadase-kun was so bright and kind I'd feel like I had sinned if I cursed in front of him. "Sorry. I bet this wasn't very fun at all..."

I got the exact opposite of the reaction I had expected; I had been bracing myself for an eyeroll and maybe even a bit of a sigh, but instead he was silent for a moment, blinking in astonishment, then he burst into laughter, making the fish dart away from the glass and the people around us flinched.

Not knowing how else to react, I blinked a few times and looked away, facing the bright aqua tank to conceal my scarlet face. Why he was laughing was beyond me; I had put my heart out on the floor for him and now he was essentially stomping on it like we were doing the Cha Cha Silde. I scratched the back of my neck nervously and continued to avoid the gazes of the others visitors, biting down even harder on my lip.

"You're so silly," he chortled, which earned him a good ol' fashioned Mean Look. That made the laughter cease a tad, and he wiped at the corners of his eyes as he regarded me with a new expression- one that had never been directed at me before. But I saw it a lot at school, when Deryn was focusing really hard on something and Will was looking at her with unconcealed adoration. My face heated for an entirely different reason than embarrassment, and the last of Tadase-kun's chuckles died. "You have nothing to apologize for."  
I figured he was just trying to be nice. "No, really, I-"

"Hisayuki-san," he cut in, his expression amused. I heaved a sigh and rolled my eyes jokingly, coming down to settle on him again sardonically. "Really. I've been having nothing but fun today."

I stared him down. "You're just saying that."

His blonde hair looked incredibly silky and soft as he shook his head back and forth, wearing a smile that could only be described as honest and gentle. "I'm really not. I'm so glad that you're having fun today." Instead of looking goofily amused, his expression turned sheepish. "This is actually the first time... I've been out alone with a girl."

Now it was my turn to blink in astonishment. Surely he had to be lying. This was  _Tadase-kun,_ who was not only the King of the Guardians, but also the ruler of all the girls' hearts at Seiyo Academy- with obvious exceptions (cough Deryn cough). How on earth did someone like him- cute, smart, funny, and  _nice_ \- managed to evade being alone with a girl all his life? But then again, there I was, eighteen years old and not-bad-looking, having never been on a date myself (that I was aware of). Before I could comment on it, Tadase-kun was fumbling on, his face reddening more and more with each word he said.

"I was really nervous about today." He couldn't meet my eyes, and I found it fascinating- and  _adorable_ \- that they were the exact shade of his cheeks. It was completely endearing that he was as nervous about being alone with me as I was with him. The murmur of the voices around us began to be drowned out- pun  _completely intended-_  by my heart, which wasn't exactly thundering, but seemed to make me more self-aware. He must've been feeling the same way, for his burgundy eyes finally rose to meet mine, pulling out some emotion buried deep,  _deeeep_ within me. "Being alone with not just with a girl, but with  _you._  I guess it's perfectly natural to be nervous." He let out an embarrassed chuckle. "You are, after all, the most wonderful girl I've ever met."

" _WHAT._ " And I thought I was blushing before.  _Ha._ "N-n-n-n-no-"

He only cut me off again, smiling in that way that made my heart stop and time slow. "Yes," he murmured slowly, stepping closer. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't back up; my feet were rooted to the spot as I looked straight into his eyes, seeing my own expression- which was surprisingly not-at-all freaky, but more like... intrigued. "You are."

It was one of those moments every teenager had once in their life- one of those  _what is this that I'm feeling?_  moments. His grin grew wider and wider as we simply stood, staring at each other, and while it was plainly embarrassed, it made very nerve ending in me ignite. It felt like I was running out of air, slowly being pulled down to drown- no pun intended this time- in a warm pool of water that wasn't exactly uncomfortable. My chest hurt, like my heart and the surrounding organs were twisting into some ball of unidentifiable emotions, but it wasn't an unpleasant pain. It was one that made me smile back at him unconsciously, equally as chagrined, but an undeniable feeling of glee dancing through me, as well.

And it all burst into flames when he suddenly jerked back with a frown.

For a moment, I thought it was me. With a single, final crescendo of a heartbeat, time seemed to freeze when I thought I had ruined everything, the delicate peace we had built, just by looking back at him. Was it something in my smile? Was it my eyes? Did he suddenly realize that he hadn't meant what he said, and wanted to take it back? Whatever it was, it made my Shugo Chara look up at me worriedly, their eyes shining, but we all stopped and narrowed our eyes in confusion when we heard and indignant, "Hmph".

 _What the heck?_  We all cast confused looks to Tadase-kun, who was blinking meekly at something below us. Our gazes travelled downwards to see a young girl, no more than six, clinging to his hand possessively, her bright brown eyes batting at him and her mouth spread into a wide, unabashed smile. My first thought was,  _maybe she just confused him with someone else?_ But no, even after a minute or so of confused silence, she remained, staring up into his politely concerned smile like it was a rainbow breaking out after a storm.

"Um... who are you?" Tadase-kun asked lightly, aiming for nonchalance. The girl's grin widened, which was slightly creepy with all of her hair peeled back from her face in twin pigtails, and she jerked him back farther. Before I even realized what I was doing, my hand darted out to grab the sleeve of his coat, a cautious look on my face. His head whipped around to look back at me, and turned a lot more pink as he observed my hand on his arm.

"My name is Chisa!" Said the girl, her voice squeaky and high-pitched, just like a mouse's would be if it could talk.

"Okay... Chisa-chan," Tadase-kun continued warily, not shrugging either of us off. "Is there, um, something we can help you with?"

Even more awkward silence. Her eyes moved from gazing adoringly at him to me, still clinging to the smooth fabric of his sleeve, and her eyes narrowed. Like, they narrowed into a  _glare._  Why a little girl like Chisa-chan was glaring at me was beyond me, so I let go of Tadase-kun's sleeve and held my hands up in surrender. There seemed to be a dangerous glint in her eyes as she regarded me, towering above her like a white marble statue, and I grinned nervously.

"There is something," she said quietly, her head ticking to the side. Despite being several heads shorter than me, I got the distinct impression of being a small vermon under the unavoidbale gaze of a praying mantis, its claws bending down just before it snapped my up into its jaws. Involuntarily, I shivered, and I got an  _are you kidding me?_  glare from Lilith. "I need to stay with you."

"Uhh... what?" Tadase-kun and I asked at the same time, though he said 'pardon' instead of the apparently more blunt form. I would've taken the time to cut him the same look Lilith had directed at me if I wasn't so, I don't know...confounded

She nodded in complete sureness of herself, her small, pointy eyebrows drawing down in determination. "Yes. Because I love you!" She shouted, throwing herself at his leg. He stumbled forward with a taken-aback grunt, his arm shooting out to stop himself from falling into the glass tank beside me, caging me within his form. I threw my hands up automatically, both in defense and embarrassment, and when he looked up into my face, our noses brushed against each other, just as Ikuto's and mine had nights ago. Except Tadase-kun stumbled away immediately, face aflame, and I didn't have to suppress the urge to yank him back and feel his warmth again- clearly, I was hanging around with Mr. Pervert far too much if he made me feel like that.

"What are you talking about, kid?" I asked in the voice of a pubescent boy when I finally was able to speak again, my heart settled back into its original cavity in my chest.

She snuffed and jerked her nose up at me. Vivian's jaw dropped, like she was the one who just got snubbed, but Lilith started losing it. "What are you, his girlfriend? Are you two dating?"

We quickly looked at each other, like we were asking the same question, then immediately turned back and began shouting out denials. "No, no! We're just friends! There's no way we'd be dating!" Then I stopped waving my hands back and forth in refusal to turn and glare at him, and he noticed the mistake at the same time and looked anywhere but at me. What'd he mean there was  _no way_?

"That's good then," Chisa-chan continued with a brusque nod, oblivious to my hair reaching out to claw at him like Medusa's serpents. "Then you're all mine!"

"Er, why did you suddenly decide this?" He asked, his voice lilting up nervously like the tone of the flute. I let his little verbal typo go and crossed my arms over my chest instead, wondering the exact same thing.

"Because Nobuko-sensei said so!" She exclaimed proudly, and while I reered my head back with a confused expression, Tadase-kun sighed and-  _astonishingly-_  rolled his eyes. "She said my destined partner would be wearing black shoes and a beige coat!" All of us skimmed Tadase-kun's outfit in unison, and we had to hand it to her, she had quite an eye for spotting that from a distance away. I put my hands on my hips and looked at her probingly, wondering what to do with this whole situation.

"What should we do?" Tadase-kun whispered to me, Chisa-chan humming to herself and snuggling up against his leg.

I glanced around. It didn't seem like we were grabbing anyone's particular attention, but she must have been there with somebody. "Her parents are probably around here somewhere, looking for her," I mused, earning nods from the Charas. "Maybe we should take her to the reception desk and see if they can page them."

While I thought it was a fairly reasonable idea, when I glanced back down at Chisa-chan, draped all over Tadase-kun's leg, it was clear that the feeling was not mutual. My eyebrows skyrocketed as I observed her glaring and growling at me, like a little puppy when you try taking away its favourite toy. It would've been adorable- only if she hadn't looked completely serious and even a little menacing when doing it. She let go of lover boy for a moment to point a threatening finger at me, her chocolate eyes sizzling like she was trying to scorch me where I stood.

"You!" She spat, and I looked around, like she could've been talking to someone else. "You're the bad woman trying to tear us apart!"

In rapid succession, I blinked twice. "Excus-"  
"You are not worthy to stay by his side!" I pressed my lips together and furrowed my brows, at a loss for what to do in a situation like this. "But it doesn't matter what dirty tricks you try! Nothing will ever destroy the fate that brought us together!" And with that, she returned to cutting off the blood running through his leg, and he smiled sheepishly.

Well. She certainly was melodramatic for, like, a seven-year-old. I looked at Tadase-kun appraisingly, wondering if he had any bright ideas, but he only shrugged.

"There's no harm in taking her with us for a bit, is there?" He asked innocently, his wide eyes pleading with me. "We can look around for her parents while we do so. Just for now."

"Sure," I said, and while I was attempting to be nonchalant about it, it came out as a sigh. I had liked spending time alone with him, and we were just beginning to get comfortable with each other- or more uncomfortable, depending how you looked at it. Heat rose to my face with the memory, but Chisa-chan was already dragging him away, so I trudged behind them, keeping an eye out for anyone who could produce the spawn of Satan.

Even though my mood had soured a significant amount, I was quickly distracted by the fish again. There was one in a single tank that was as large as me lengthwise, with eyes that stared straight into my soul, and Tadase-kun laughingly took a picture of me giving two peace signs beside it with a wide, goofy grin on my face. When we inspected a map together, Chisa-chan a leech on his leg, I noticed a certain corner of the large, glass structure labelled "penguins".

Tadase-kun jolted when he caught sight of my expression- probably because it looked like I was having an aneurism. "Penguins?" I repeated, my voice a low hiss. "They have  _penguins_  here? At the  _aquarium?_ "

Chisa-chan, the snide little brat, rolled her eyes at me. "That's what it says, dummy. Even I can read that."

"We have to go," I said suddenly, bolting in the direction the map indicated, Tadase-kun and Chisa-chan trailing behind me. More than once, I whirled around and yelled at them to pick up the pace, and Tadase-kun smiled and said they were trying each time- like he was telling the truth when he said he was enjoying himself. I returned the grin each time, and Chisa-chan threw daggers right in the place between my eyes.

When we arrived, I could've cried. They were the cutest things I had ever seen in person, especially when they waddled about awkwardly, their adorable little feet not managing to take them very far. They squawked happily with all the attention they were receiving from the cooing spectators, and when one tried jumping off of a makeshift ice berg, it slipped and fell in the aqua water with a large splash that left drops of water running down the glass observatory. I laughed so hard I was on my knees and wheezing, which made Tadase-kun chuckle in return, but Chisa-chan only narrowed her eyes and hissed.

"You're friend's an idiot," she said to him, making my laughter cease and my eyes burn when I glared at her. She cuddled against his leg even further, and now he was so used to it that he patted her head in return. "Thank goodness I'm more mature than her."

There must've been something about the look I got on my face, because Tadase-kun felt the need to jump in. "Yes," he agreed, avoiding making eye contact with me but smiling all the same. "But don't you think she's cute like that?"

He returned his gaze to me, a sly twist to his usual graceful smile, and then it was my turn to avoid his eyes begrudgingly but giggle like an idiot on the inside. There was a warm, comfortable feeling stirring in my stomach, and before I could help it, another smile spread wide on my face and we were looking at each other like nothing could make us happier.

Then Satsuki started screaming.

At first it was because I thought she was having a reaction similar to mine to the penguins, but that assumption quickly changed into something more disturbed, more panicked as Lilith and Vivian were yelling all at once and tugging on my hair. I turned around to scan the crowd for the problem, but so nothing out of the ordinary except for the patrons that moved like weaving shadows from the light of the exhibits. Then my gaze travelled upwards, and I saw it. An X-Egg floating high above the crowd, turning left and right as if it were confused.

I gasped and turned my body fully into a defensive crouch, which in turn made Tadase-kun's eyes dart to the same place as mine, and his expression hardened. It noticed us at the same time and leisurely floated away, seeming to have no worries of us coming after it in a place filled with so many people.

Grinding my teeth together, I stood up fully and took a few steps forward. "I'll be right back," I growled, but before I could push through the crowd, a startled cry came from Chisa-chan as Tadase-kun stumbled forward and grabbed my elbow. It was tense and bony in his grasp, my gaze remaining steely even as I turned back to stare at him.

"You've been working way too hard as it is," he protested, his gaze beseeching mine. "Isn't there anything else we can do? I don't want you getting too tired."

"It'll be fine," I said, my voice just as stony as my eyes. That made his expression fall into utter sadness, but I didn't have the time to reassure him. It didn't matter if I was tired; it was far better than the alternative, children wandering around aimlessly with no light in their eyes. Honestly, I didn't mind seeing bags under my eyes each time I looked in the mirror- so long as I could still stand looking at myself after saving the eggs. That was what really mattered.

I tried to muster up a smile for him, but it was as standard and fake as an emoticon's. Then his warm grasp slipped from my elbow and I began weaving my way through the throngs of people at an urgent pace, not even looking back to see Chisa-chan sticking her tongue out at me.

It was hard to keep track of the Egg, despite it hovering high above the clusters of patrons; the aquarium was dark, only illuminated by the flourescent lights shining from the tanks. Ripples were still cast on the floor, dancing erratically, and all over the rest of the people I pawed my way through as gently yet urgently as possible. Even though it may have been futile, I found myself scanning the crowd for anyone looking Heartbroken, seeking familiar signs such as light faded from their eyes and a dark aura swirling around them, a furious storm amongst a million suns. I saw no such signs, everyone figures of black against the lights, weaving in and out of each other much like the lapping waves within the tanks. I heaved a frustrated sigh and picked up the pace as the crowd began dispersing upon approaching the doors.

Sunlight brightened the back exit through the limitless glass windows and the double doors, providing me with the insight to see the Egg slip through the top of an open one. Unable to discern whether or not that was helpful, I scowled and followed it outside, keeping close to the shadows of the maple trees to remain undiscernable from the public eye. No one needed to see me stalking around like some kind of suspicious weirdo, especially if I was planning on Character Transforming to purify the X.

The X-Egg was only a few yards away, still rotating around, as if it were disoriented. For a moment, before I could even conjure up a plan, my expression fell into one of emotionlessness as I wondered if that's how they all felt. Just lost. Empty inside, their only purpose to seek out something to fill the gaping hole left in their owner's hearts. Then my hands clenched into fists. All the more reason to save them.

"What should I do?" I whispered to the girls, who each rested on my shoulder closest to the Egg. "It's not like I can Character Transform with all these people around." The aquarium was in close proximity to the central park, meaning that on a gorgeous autumn day such as this, many people would be milling about and enjoying it to the fullest before the bitterness of winter turned the world to slate.

"Character Change," Satsuki suggested, still trembling a bit frim her earlier episode with discovering the Egg.

Before I called out the command, I hesitated. Granted, I had Character Transformed plenty of times, which was far more extering than simply Character Chganing. But I had only done it once before with Vivian, and so it remained unfamiliar territory. Options were limited, however, and I set my jaw as I considered who I should do it with. Considering that I'd be chasing the Egg all around, no doubt, and Lilith's expertise was in agility and speed, she seemed like the best bet.

"Lilith," I called, and her face brightened into that thrilled expression she got whenever we came together. She said it was like she had a powerful body of her own, and considering how small they were, such a thing would be a priveledge to them.

She copped off a haughty salute. "Roger!" Her fingers snapped at me, and I felt two elements of her Character Transformation take shape on my body without fully changing anything; my hair was teased up into the high-ponytail with the bat clip, and my neck draped in a long, crimson scarf that grazed the ground threateningly like whips. I could already feel a rush charging through my legs at the speed of light, making my heart automatically beat faster and giving me the need to just  _run._  My eyes darted to the wall, where a janitorial closet was plastered into, different cleaning supplies leaning against it. Additionally, there was a net- which made little sense to me, until I realized they probably used that to fish the aquatic life out of their tanks. I shrugged to myself and snatched it, my hand only a blur with the inhuman speed running through me, and I practically danced up the side of the building only to leap off and try to capture the Egg.

But this one was smart- and quick, too. It noticed me just before the net could land on it and dodged out of the way, leaving me to fall to the ground far below but harmlessly land on my feet. This pattern continued for quite a while, until my breathing was coming out more roughly than before and my arms grew tired from swinging. I gulped down the burning lump that had formed in my throat and raised the net again, preparing to steel my feet against the concrete ground and leap into the air point-blank. Extremities poured from my mouth with my frustration, Satsuki shocked everyone by smacking me right on the back of my head- which didn't really hurt, except for the fact that it was  _Satsuki_ doing it.

"That's very unladylike," she scolded, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Instead I mumbled an apology and began surging forward, but screeched to a stop once the view of the X-Egg- bouncing up and down as if it regarded all of this as a game- was disturbed by a flash of blue, black, and a substance resembling diamonds.

"What the-" I nearly lost my footing as my feet tumbled over each other in my clumsy attempt at stopping, and I forced the handle of the net into a crack in the pavement to keep me from going any further. My breath came out in one hot rush, and I glared up at the disturbance, thinking it could've possibly been a bird or something.

What I was not expecting to see was Ikuto's Shugo Chara, with a crystalline four leaf clover key dangling from his neck on a sterling chain.

"I've finally found you, Snow Hisayuki!" He screeched, gesturing to me with one large cat paw. Every time I had seen him, he had been quietly by Ikuto's side, unvocal yet unable to ignore. Thus, I hadn't expected him to look so smug and outgoing- much like his master. He looked almost exactly identical to Ikuto, with shaggy navy hair hanging all in his face, almost concealing his unique pure yellow cat eyes. A large white cross clunked on his chest from his neck, and thw same midnight cat ears twitched atop his head with the passing breeze. In the back of my mind clouded with a dark fog that came whenever an X-Egg was nearby, a single beam of light shone that shocked me out of my momentary concentration: what wish could Ikuto have to give birth to such a character? What would a guy like him desire that he didn't already have?

With a furious shake of my head, I returned to focusing away from the small cat-boy and towards the X-Egg. It was rocketing towards the roof, trying its best to escape what it no doubt had instincts against. I made a move to skirt around Ikuto's Chara and ready to pounce again, but he just moved in front of me once more, screaming with a flash of fangs, "Hey, don't ignore me!"

My lip curled up in irritation, to which he smiled nervously and flinched away from. "Whaddya want?" I snapped, trying to keep an eye on the rapidly fading X-Egg.

"To talk," he answered simply, and I must have looked ready to strangle him, since he quickly elaborated. "It's important, really! I think I deserve some recognition for all the trouble I went to to find you."

My eyes rolled heavenward before coming to rest on him again, and I shifted my weight to one hip with a quirked eyebrow. "What trouble? How did you find me, in the first place? I don't supposed you just followed me from the moment I left my house."

His paw waved dismissively. "Nah, that'd be way too much work. Let's just say the stray cats around here have no problem with blindly following my every order."

I cautiously too a step back. "Like a cult?"

He floated closer, waggling his eyebrows. "Exaclty like a cult."

"Well, that's nice and all, but I really should be-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" He darted in front of me again as I moved to step around him, and before I could attempt to swat him away like an annoying gnat, he brandished the very familiar key around his neck and demanded, "Know what this is?"

I tossed out a wild guess. "A key?" Then my eyebrows furrowed and I cocked my head to the side. "But I swear I've seen it before..."

From beside me, Lilith viciously tore a groan from her throat, and shot up to float directly in front of my neck. She burrowed into my scarf and emerged with the Humpty Lock clasped around my neck, and suddenly I knew why the key was so familiar. It had the exact design of the lock. Which meant that...

"They're a pair," I murmured in astonishment, completely distracted from pursuing the Egg. Gently, I raised my hand to graze the end of the dangling key, taking the weight off of Ikuto's Chara and allowing his small shoulders to relax.

"They are indeed," he sniffed haughtily, as if he was proud of himself for bringing this tidbit of information to me.

"But why did you bring this here, uh..." I paused, a momentary flutter of my heart notifying me that I had no idea what his name was.

His jaw dropped in disbelief. " _Seriously?!_ You don't know my name after all this time?"

I clucked my tongue and looked away. "No one bothered to tell me."

"YORU!" He screamed, throwing a tantrum in midair, with his arms and legs flailing.  _Night._ How apt. "My name is Yoru! And to answer your question, I just wanted to see what would happen if we put those two-" he used his paw to gesture idly to the glimmering objects rushing with magic between us "-together."

"But why?" I pressed, staring into the face of the key. A very low sound, more like a buzzing vibration was tingling my ears, the resounding noise left after two pieces of metal were hit together. It was a resonance, as Tadase-kun had said- meaning that the two artifacts were singing with each other in some sort of harmony, as if they wanted to be whole again.

Yoru simply shrugged in response, oblivious to my decomposition of the dull ringing sound around us. "Because I was bored."

"And what makes you think I'd be willing to actually put them together?" Tadase-kun probably wouldn't be too pleased if he learned that, instead of chasing after and purifying that X-Egg, I was hanging around with his sworn enemy's Shugo Chara and considering putting the matching pair of spellbinding objects together at last. When I had asked if the lock has a matching key, he had deftly avoided the question- meaning that he didn't even like speaking of the two in the same sentence. There had to be some mystery surrounding the two, their origin, and how they came to be apart in the first place. Whatever it was, it was clear they didn't want to be that way any longer- the lock and key wanted to overcome the odds and distance between them, and be accepted together, as one. "How did you get your grubby paws on this, anyway?"

Almost self-conciously, he kneaded his paws in thin air. "My paws are  _not_ grubby. And that key didn't just pop out from nowhere." He rolled those disconcerting yellow eyes at me, as if it should be obvious. "It's Ikuto's."

The key fell limp from my hand, and Yoru was left to struggle under its weight once again. Even the clouds in the air seemed to slow as I slowly processed what he had said. Ikuto and I... had the matching key and lock? Like, his key unlocked me- that sounded wrong. I shook my head frantically, hoping to exorcise all sinful thoughts. It wasn't like the lock was mine to begin with- Tadase-kun had said that it was to belong to the one who obtained three Shugo Chara, since that was exceedingly rare. But as far as anyone knew, I was the only one to ever have that many. Could it have been fate for the lock to have become mine, and the key his?

...Why  _him,_  of all people?

I threw a surreptitious glance around, asking, "Is he here now?"

He snorted. "No. I like to go off on my own, and he lets me." I couldn't tell which I felt more- relief or disapointment. Both emotions were equally strong and clashing inside me like twin blades. "So what do you say? Wanna try it?"

The gleam in his eyes was much like that of a serpent's- specifically, the one in the Bible story of the Garden of Eden that lured Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. It was hard to resist, and I had to admit that the allure of the two enchanted pieces of the same puzzle was intriguing. So I hesitated only momentarily before extending the lock to Yoru's waiting paws, which cradled the key in a position to insert into it.

Nervous as I was, I couldn't help but feel excited- first I learn that the mysterious, mystical lock actually does have a matching key, and now I was going to learn what happened when the two were together. If the key was really the match, it must have had magic properties as well, and considering that the lock's were so extreme that it permitted humans to take on compeltely different abilities... what kind of power would come forth when the two were combined? I shouldn't have been as anticipating as I was, but it was hard to keep under wraps. The possibilities that were completelt beyond the laws of science were... well, riveting.

Just as the key glinted the edge of the golden-gilded lock, the X-Egg swooped down from its safe pinion in the sky and knocked the two apart. Yoru and I were temporarily in shock, falling backwards in slow motion from the jarring contact, and he slowly but shrilly started to shriek as he realized that the key had been utterly swiped from beneath his nose- and now swung precariously from the X-Egg. Its position was nothing but hazardous, with its smooth shell and spasmodic movements, which meant it could slip at any second. I bolted up from the position of literally being knocked on my ass and tossed the net aside, opting for more drastic measures.

"Lilith, what was that whip called again?" I hissed at her, my voice low and ominous.

She let out an insulted grunt that I didn't remember. "The  _Serpentine,_ you dunce! How dare you just forge-"

My thoughts channeling the long, snake-like chord seemed to travel straight down my arm in a rush of electricity, leaving the handle of the leathery weapon in my dominant hand. I cracked it once, just practising to make sure I could handle it properly, and to also threaten the small yet formidable foe. It seemed to begin shaking, little popping noises like Rice Krispies shooting from it.

"Ikuto's gonna kill me!" Yoru howled, over and over again, until I whipped my head around to shoot him the most venomous glare I was able.

"Not today he's not," I said with a grin, which earned me a flattering stare of awe.

Serpentine, as Lilith had called it, was thankfully long and seemingly made of steel- even from the the lengthy distance we stood at, it would reach the egg floating imposingly in the air with no difficulty. With my left hand, I gripped the thong and tugged it once before sailing it in an arc through the air, the cracker snapping against the side of the building as the egg dodged with ease. I ground my teeth together in frustration before realizing that I couldn't see it anymore. I snapped it once against the ground as a warning, and the egg bolted out from the lush scarlet leaves of one of the trees, too close to hope to catch it with a distance weapon such as this. The only hope I had at that moment was to dodge it, but if I had, I would've squished Yoru flat. My foot hesitated before moving, but that's all the egg needed to shoot right for my jaw, causing me to stagger to the right and clutch at it. A bruise was definitely going to begin to form there- I could feel it. Though I'd be more concerned about my appearance when my mouth wasn't bleeding from when I had bit down hard on the inside of my cheek upon the contact.

I tasted iron and just metal in general, and I made a lame movement of trying to wipe it off with the back of my hand. That cost me time in terms of the egg making a U-turn and veering off to hit me square again, and I made sure my teeth were only clenched together before receiving the shot this time. Only, it never came. Instead, there was a sound of rapid shots of thunder- which I soon registered to be footsteps. Before I could turn around to shout at them to move out of the way- regardless of whether or not they could see it- two hot places of pressure pressed hard against the backs of my knees, clutching them almost painfully, and I was literally swept off my feet- my hair being the only thing to get swept up in the X-Egg's attack.

The surprised fish-face came in full force when I suddenly felt too close to the ground for comfort, but there was still something against my side, a stony and flat chest almost flying against the pavement. My saviour's feet darted out from behind them and just in front of us to scrape to a stop, sandy dust kicking up in their wake. I had stopped watching all the chaos and just squeezed my eyes shut and clenched their soft shirt in my hands, unconciously pressing myself closer to them in panic. But once we were safely on ground, I felt a heavy movement of their chest- exhaling a deep breath, no doubt- and a hearty chuckle from above me that I recognized immediately with a groan. "If it ended up in you clinging to me like this, I'd save you a lot more often."

Almost ashamed of myself for not expecting him to show up at all, I flailed in Ikuto's arms- which were shockingly firm and solid despite his lithe panther figure- and only got another throaty laugh. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, put me down, please."

For once he actually did as I asked, and the absence of his warmth pressing against my side left me feeling strangely reluctant to step away even further. Nonetheless, once my feet were firmly planted on the ground yet again, I turned away to hide the glowing rose colour of my face, ashamed of myself for feeling more excited about his presence than I had been with the lock and key. The X-Egg had merely become a fleeting black dot dashing through the sky, and I knew that no matter how far it got, we absolutely had to catch it; not only was it a danger to the owner if left unpurified, but it also had Ikuto's key.

Considering the fact that he came all the way after Yoru to retrieve it... it must have been very important to him.

On that note, Ikuto turned to face his Chara, who flinched and smiled innocently. "Taking off with someone else's stuff... I thought I taught you better than that." The smile remained on Yoru's face, but Lilith very graciously pointed out that he was jittering like a rattling skeleton. Ikuto approached him further, heaved a sigh, and flicked him sqaure on the forehead, which earned a wince from us and a screeching yowl of pain from the victim. "This is your punishment."

"Ikuto," I inaugurated, not knowing what to say, only that I felt hesitant to just let him leave. This was partly my fault for not taking care of the X-Egg sooner, and thus letting it make off with his key. He turned to face me, no sign of his malevolent smirk or grin. His eyes were heavyset with an intense emotion, his mouth drawn into a hard line. I retracted the hand I had been unconciously reaching out towards him, as was a habit of mine, but the action didn't go unnoticed. He watched it fall slack to my side, looking downcast and guilty, and I was surprised to feel him ruffle my hair as he walked by.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice not matching his expression, since it was completely filled with warmth. Self-conciously, I laid a hand on my hair to feel where his had just been, surprised at myself for being alright with being touched. Actually, it had always been that way with him, hadn't it? I supposed it felt so natural to be touched carelessly by him that it didn't even matter to me. Which- should've bothered me more than it did, but I pushed that to the darkest recesses of my mind so as to not think about it. "I'll get the key back," Ikuto was saying, and with a single pop of small, glittering indigo particles, his cat ears and tail were on his body, and he was leaping far into the distance, leaving me standing there with my mouth agape.

"Let's help him," Satsuki suggested. "Ikuto-sama doesn't seem to be  _too_ bad of a guy."

"Alright, so long as you never call him Ikuto-sama to his face," I bargained, but she only titled her head in confusion. "It'll just pump up his ego, and no one needs that. Lilith?"

"Present!"

Everything about Character Transforming- the water-like space, the red hues, the feeling of having clothes suddenly  _appear_ \- seemed to be rushed this time, as if the very action understood my urgency of having it happen quick. Once I was released from the space, I struggled to try and cover my almost-bare breasts with the long crimson scarf, since Lilith's outfit was by far the skimpiest. A single insulted huff resounded in my head, meaning she had caught wind of my resentment towards it, but I was too frustrated to care. To nto attract attention, I'd have to stick closer to the trees than anywhere else.

With one powerful leap, I practically flew to grasp on to one strong branch of the nearest maple, swinging precariously before flipping myself to land safely on its surface. I poked my head through the warm-coloured leaves, trying to locate the X-Egg and Ikuto. They were there, albeit very far in the distance, the X-Egg trying to gain more altitude and Ikuto gracefully leaping after it. He really did look like a big, dark jungle cat from a distance, from the way his feet so obviously landed delicately on each surface he launched off of, to the way he angled his body in the air. I caught myself staring at him in awe- and something else unidentifiable- and shook myself out of it, swinging dexterously from branch to branch like a monkey.

Despite the seemingly grave situation, it was more than easily to simply feel the branches beneath my hands, the rough bark scraping against my palms with each swing, and completely sacrifice myself to the enjoyment. I found myself grinning ear-to-ear as I flew through the air, the wind whipping my ponytail and scarf against my bare back.

With one final leap, I was on the ground again, watching as Ikuto bolted up from a street light to the roof of a building where the X-Egg hovered tauntingly. I got briefly distracted watching Ikuto from below, a rush of autumn wind causing the world to quiver and make his dark hair flow out from his face. It really did look like he was flying. I could almost see some kind of tainted wings on his back, once white but fading to a darker slate as pain and time ebbed their beauty away. He looked... so far away from me. With a slap of my palm to my forehead, I braced my legs and leapt up after him, and his eyes slid over to me in surprise when he saw me rocketing up beside him.

"Snow," he murmured, somewhat drowned out by the wind, like he couldn't believe it was really me. I flashed him a grin and thumbs-up, which he returned with a smile softer than I had ever seen. We came to land on the roof together with simultaneous thuds of our shoes smacking against pavement, mine the click of heels and his the thump of sleek motorcycle boots. After straightening from our positions of bending our knees in bracing for the landing, he placed one hand on a hip and I crossed my arms warily. He noticed that, as well; though his only response was the quirk of an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

"Thought you hated me," he reiterated, reminding me of our conversation from last time with a flush and a wince. I had said that- more than once, though it was more out frustration and embarrassment than truth. I shifted uncomfortably under the sizzling sun and his probing gaze, wanting nothing more than to go jumping off the very building we stood on.

Finally a witty response popped in my head, and I concealed my smug grin as I flipped my ponytail back over my shoulder. "Just because I dislike you doesn't mean I'm a bad person who won't assist someone in need." I couldn't bring myself to say the word 'hate' again; it had always felt too strong for me, even after all of the struggles I had been through. I expected him to drop the subject after I had said that, but he made me jerk in surprise when he started chuckling to himself again, the pompous effect I was going for apparently lost.

"Whatever you say," he snickered, poking my bare ribs with his elbow. This time I did shrink back, not at all comfortable with him pressing his bare elbow to my essentially naked torso. It must have been an off day for him as well with the way he was dressed that permitted the rolled-up sleeves of an oxford blue button down, a white undershirt with a cross hanging from a long chain bumping against his chest, and distressed dark wash jeans. He gave me a curious look when I slowly put a hand to my forehead and shook my head slowly, oblivious to the fact that I was having an internal crisis from the way he looked, superficial as it was. "The Egg's getting away," he pointed out with an audible smile, and I lifted my head so quickly I got a rush to see the X-Egg freeze in surprise as it neared the edge of the roof, then slowly turn around to see me rushing at it.

It immediately dodged out of the way as I reached a hand out to grab it so quickly it was just a blur, leaving it to bolt right off the roof and into the air. I grit my teeth as I jumped after it with a momentary rush of panic at being in the air with nothing to grab hold of, then I quickly changed tactics to pushing myself off the sides of the two adjacent buildings, reaching up each time to attempt grabbing at it only to have it dart away. By the third time the cycle repeated, I was standing uniformly on the roof opposite to the one Ikuto was on, letting out an infuriated groan. This was seeming more and more impossible.

Just as the thought popped in my head, one frighteningly large phantom blue cat paw came soaring through the air to swipe at the little guilty party, and it missed its mark by only a hairbreadth. I looked back in surprise to see Ikuto standing casually in the place I had left him, one arm raised and cast in an eerie midnight fog, clearly controlling the massive attack. To be honest, I had expected him to leave all the work to me. Suffice to say, I was more than shocked- and a little flattered- to see that he was actually helping, and I felt my chest warm and squeeze at the sight, as if the very paws tearing through the air were kneading straight into my heart with their powerful claws.

Yoru was suddenly floating beside, his voice low and urgent as he said, "Ikuto will distract it. Use that chance to catch it!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," I growled with a feral grin, waiting in a ready position for the perfect time to strike. Ikuto looked at me, saw I was ready, and flung out his hand further, which shot out more claws slashing into the air around it, leaving it to weave and dodge in a panic. I used that chance to pounce into the air once again, and I practically did a screwdriver spiral downwards to get in front of the X-Egg before cracking the whip in its direction.

Regardless of all the commotion working around us, Serpentine seemed to maneuver through the air all on its own to eventually clench and squeeze around the X-Egg, which earned a large, almost human squeak. I focused all the desires I felt- the need to save it, to salvage Ikuto's key- right into my hand, which channeled directly into the weapon and showered lava red, flame-like sparks straight through it and into the egg. It began to glitter brilliantly in the same colour, as if being embraced by warmth and passionate feelings, until the oily black coat of darkness on it slicked off and evaporated into the air like a heavy, diluted smog. What was left in its place was the ever-comforting sight of a pure white heart's egg, completely still in the whip's grasp unlike its tainted self, shining with an intensity only known to pure hearts.

All this within the course of only a few seconds, and I landed back on the roof with another clack of my boots' heels. With a bubble-like popping, Lilith's and my Character Transformation came undone, leaving the egg to be free and soar back to its owner. With one powerful swing to bolt back to the direction of the aquarium, the key was freed from its slippery place on its shell, and I automatically started running to catch it- before it could drop to the ground and shatter into thousands of glittering fragments.

Once it landed safely in my hands, pulsating with a heat that could only be described as magic, I grinned back at Ikuto while calling, "I got it!" He saw it clenched tightly in my hand and his entire frame seemed to sag in relief, before his expression slowly melted into a mask of horror. Before I could ask what was wrong, I saw him shift into a position to run just before I felt myself slowly tipping sideways.

It was that suspenseful moment that you sometimes saw at the end of a very dramatic movie, when the main character, say, was trying to jump off a bridge but changed their mind at the last second. However, it was too late for them to change their mind, and they were already plummeting from the bridge towards their inevitable death, filled with nothing but regret and fear. The only difference was that in my instance it was anything but intentional, and I had three fairy-like girls shooting after me and screaming my name as my hair whipped around like a screen of snow. They always say that falling happens in slow motion, and then I decided that, whoever "they" are, were filthy liars. It happened all too fast, my face burning from the rushing wind, and there was absolutely no time to try anything, let alone another Character Transformation or Change. That left me to start screeching in a very low-pitched, unconvincing way, like I was falling  _sarcastically._ Funny how I could never be serious when the situation called for it, even if it meant breaking a few things- possibly even... death.

Before I could even begin to fathom what it would feel like to go splat against the ground, I sucked in a shocked gasp of the burning air when I saw Ikuto's dark form go diving after me, his cat ears and tail still out, with one hand extended. That didn't leave me to give very much effort, since my arms were already hopelessly outstretched towards the infinite maya blue sky. I almost choked in relief when I felt his warm hand squeeze around mine, so hard that all of my bones were forced together and my knuckles cracked, but then I fell completely silent when he pulled me straight into and just held on.

Now  _that_ seemed to happen in slow motion. Whether it was out of pure astonishment, or not wanting the moment to end, I didn't know. But it didn't change the fact that it was the first time in my whole life that I had been just held close by someone other than my family. Even Mao knew not to come that close because of my inevitable reaction of flinching away, leaving me without full-on human contact for quite some time. And I wasn't just being  _held_ ; it was a merciless, breathtaking squeeze that left me with no other choice but to grab on to his wide shoulders and widen my eyes, which were tearing up slightly from the whipping wind- the closest thing I'd been to tears in more than a decade.

Little time was left to savour the feeling of it all, because he was flipping me in  _midair,_ situating my flailing body into yet another princess carry so he could land roughly on his feet. The sound resounded against the pavement, and I felt the contact reverberate straight through his legs with a wince of sympathy. That even sounded like it hurt, and that theory was proved right when his knees buckled beneath our combined weights with a manly grunt, leaving both of us to crumple to the ground. Or rather, he let go of me mid-fall and fell into the grassy area beneath the blazing maples, and in the momentum I pinwheeled in the air for a moment before collapsing on top of him, which solicited another grunt- this one sounded more like the wind had been knocked out of him.

The moment was compeltely still, the only sound to be heard the wind, the stuttering beat of his heart, and Lilith and Vivian's raucous laughter at our awkward position. Which was, admittedly, the most awkward position I had ever been in during my eighteen years of life. At that moment I did have the time to fully speculate the feeling of being held, and it was... strange. Ikuto's body was only beneath mine, his arms flung out at the sides, but I felt the warmth it gave off completely set each of my nerves into infernos. My hands were presses between both of our chests- a blessing in disguise- and by far the strangest thing I had ever felt was another heartbeat beneath my hand. His was so strong, albeit quick and stuttering, and each time he heaved a breath in and exhaled, his chest moved, moving me along with it. At the back of my mind, I was thinking,  _what the fuck?,_ but the thought occupying me front and center was how  _nice_ it felt. Honestly, the fall did hurt, probably him more than me, but I was just so warm, and I felt so safe... for the first time, I understood why couples would look for any possible excuse to hold each other. The feeling was irreplaceable, especially after going without it for so long.

I heaved a sigh with one powerful exhale, which made him jerk beneath me, in turn setting off a chain reaction of me clutching his shirt tighter in surprise, the girls' laughter ceasing completely, and his heartbeat stumbling twice and picking up harder than before. My lips were hovering right above the curve of his shoulder, so no wonder he got chills down his spine. On another note- a note from the more smug part of me- I felt more than a little accomplished to know that I was making his heart pound like that, be it from the fall or... the, er, laying. Even though I was well aware of what tended to make people's hearts beat faster, I supposed I just assumed... that his was unmoveable. Carved right from stone and set in place, chains locked around it tightly so it could never be swayed. It was the air of confidence and aloofness that he gave off, the way he hardly ever smiled, the way he teased and prodded people for his own amusement. But his heart beat like any other human's. Even though there was no flush to his cheeks, or anywhere else, our hearts were reacting the same way.

It was more than a little odd to think, to realize that my enemy's heart beat just the same as mine. It made him seem more human. Less like a monster who shattered children's dreams just because he was following orders.

My shocked expression finally fell, my jaw clicking back into place with an aching clack, but I still didn't move. I knew I'd have to soon, but I had finally come to a sort of epiphany, and it just felt right to be lying there like that, finally consumed by someone's warmth after such a long time. Everything around us seemed to still, even the breeze quieting to a low hush that skimmed the grass and moved the leaves, and I felt his tense shape relax against mine. Slowly and deliberately, almost like he was hesitating, his arms moved to come closer to me and rest his hands on my back.

It was clear to understand why; he hadn't wanted to scare me away. But that was exactly what happened. The voluntary touch was so unpredicatble that it jolted me out of my little, ahem, "carnal" fantasy. I jumped away like he was a burning coil on the stove that I had accidentally and forbiddingly laid my hands upon, which sent me almost flying back on the pavement. Lilith and Viv started chortling all over again, apparently finding my awkward fumbling the most amusing form of entertainment out there, and my body seemed to finally register what happened in full with a rush of pure red to my cheeks.

It would've been pointless to ask things I usually did, like  _why did that happen?,_  or  _why didn't I push away?,_  or the infamous  _what is this I'm feeling?_  I knew the answers to two of them, and the last one would always throw me for a loop. So I decided to let it be, that electric feeling still clinging to me like a second skin. Ikuto stared at me appraisingly, and while I debated on whether or not I should meet his gaze head-on or continue to evade it, I heard him heave a sigh- of  _relief._

Only then did it occur to me that he had saved my life. He had  _jumped off a building for me._  It didn't matter of it was only to get his key out of my hands safely; the fact was that he had risked his own life for mine. And I had no way to repay that. That was the second time he had done as such, and that left me again to ponder just who exactly he really was.

"Thank you," I murmured at the same time that he said, "Thanks." We caught each other's eyes and gave identical sheepish looks, then carefully rose into firm standing positions parallel to each other, Ikuto completely still and confident as opposed to my fidgeting, blushing self. "For saving me," I added, and he just waved it off. But I wouldn't.

"Then thanks for this," he offered, holding his hand up to show me that he had somehow managed to swipe the key, its glimmering chain wound around his fingers and throwing prisms in every direction from the sunlight. "See ya," he finished as he turned away, shoving his hands in his pockets as he began to walk away.

But I wasn't done with him yet. Somehow it just felt like there were so many things left unsaid, and I still had something important to ask him. "Wait!" I called, and he turned only halfway, making it difficult to read his expression. "Why..." I had to gulp down the strangest lump that had unknowingly formed in my throat before continuing. "Why do you have... that key?"

Instead of fully turning to face me like I admittedly expected him to, he turned away again, his hair flowing through the air like ink through water. "Who can say."

Now I was getting angry. He was always so cryptic, intent on teasing me and withholding all the important information, leaving me in the dark to aimlessly grope around for a light all by myself. I had had enough f that in my life already, and I was sick of having the one person I really didn't mind being around- and even  _touching_  me- keep on taking the role of my enemy, when it was clear to the both of us that we could never be like that. It just wasn't possible. I didn't want to even imagine us fighting against each other for real and not just firing one-liners at each other; it was too grim, and it hurt me deep in a cavity of my torso to even think about.

"Why won't you tell me anything?" I growled furiously as I threw my hands up in the air. "You always act like you're the baddest of the bad, but you're  _not._  If you were, you'd have just let me fall and crack my freaking skull open!" To my utter astonishment, he flinched slightly at that, like the image of blood turning my snow-white hair completely crimson physically affected him. "And these moodswings! One second you're full of gratitude and-" I had to gulp down again "-and touching me, then the next you're all equivocal and just a general douchebag!" My hands came to rest limpy at my sides again as I finished, "You're  _always_ like that."

His response sonded vaguely amused. "You're globalizing."

"Only because you give me reason to!" I had begun to shake, the veins in my hands shifting slightly into the more intricate patterns that indicated I was getting slightly out of control. "Why did you put the blame on yourself that day at the sports festival?" That part was an accident; I hadn't ever intended to bring it up again, but it did managed to get enough of his attention that he turned back around and looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Why didn't you just  _tell_ me whatever you're thinking about, instead of leaving me to decipher it like some sort of code? Why did you let me believe that you were the bad guy?!"

His expression shifted slightly, from stoic and expressionless to slightly rueful, his eyes taking on a metallic glint that sliced right into my chest. "Who cares?" He asked in return, and those words carried a more despondent meaning than he could've ever known. He was suggesting that there was no one there for him  _to_ care; that he was the bad guy because it didn't matter to anyone else what he was, so long as he followed orders.

That only managed to get my face flaming in rage, my hand unconciously clutching at the lock around my neck as I proffessed, " _I_ do!" Before I could even attempt to back away, he was rushing at me, thunder in his step, catching my wrist in that electrifying grasp and using it as leverage to tug me into the wall. My breathing was more like panting as he had me pinned there, his body completely tensed up and aggravated, and I glared up at him with all the ferocity I could muster- which was about on par with a kitten's.

"Why should you?" He demanded harshly, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut and curl my hand in his into a fist. "You don't know the first thing about me."

"So you keep saying," I gritted out through clenched teeth. "But you're the one who keeps on coming around and giving me insight. If you really wanted to remain all enigmatic and secretive, you could've." I opened my eyes once more, not to glare, but rather to just stare into his, trying to pull what it was he really wanted to say out of him. "But you didn't."

He grumbled something like, "Who's fault do you think that is?" But before I could comment on it, he held the key up to my eye-level to further examine, and actually began to answer my question for once. "The Dumpty Key. It makes a pair with your Humpty Lock. It's a mystery why the two are together, but..." He trailed off, a distant look coming into his fathomless eyes that stared right through me. "They were made for each other."

"Made for... each other," I repeated, more slowly as I was processing. What could that have meant? What even managed to give them their powers? That was what I  _should've_ been wondering, but all I could focus on was how close he was again, and how I could freaking  _smell_ the boy, a mix of mint and something more spicy, and it was driving me insane. Another first he gave me: it was the first time I had begun to wonder how it would feel to touch a boy, and not in an innuendo sense. It was like I wanted to memorize the way he felt, the way his cheekbones were sharped and carved into high arcs, his eyelashes so long and dark they looked like masacara. When I averted my gaze again, not wanting him to realize what was on my mind, I ended up staring at his hand clenching around my wrist, and couldn't resist noting how much larger it was than mine, with longer fingers and clean, squared-off nails, while mine were longer and sharp. It was a guy's hand, and each time I had to remind myself that physically, we were  _very_ different, I ended up embarrassed and too-aware all over again.

"Let me go," I hissed defensively, trying not to let him feel that I was beginning to shake.

"Hmmm," he drawled aloud, and I swivelled my head to glare at him. Naturally, he was grinning, but its sardonic effect was shoved down the drain when he was so close to me. It looked more like a smile that implied something was about to happen, and that he was going to enjoy it. "I dunno. I'm liking this."

"Whyyyyy," I screamed in a whisper, and I stared at his chest moving up and down with restrained laughter. I knew that some guys did enjoy playing and teasing with girls, but this seemed a tad bit extreme. He didn't have to do it  _every time_ we saw each other. It should have made me like him a lot less, but in all honesty, I didn't mind when he was around. Though I was starting to get pissed with him just being flippant when we were supposed to be having a serious conversation, and I knew that he was just trying to distract me with all this touchy-touchy stuff. And we both knew it was working.

"But to answer your question," he murmured, apparently sobered up again. "I'm like this because I can't be around anyone else."

That struck a chord within me, a shiver reverberating through my body with the vibrations and leaving me completely still in the end. I understood what he was saying- even though I was confused about it, as well. He was implying that he was comfortable enough around me that he could be carefree, when it was evident that he normally could not. As I looked up into his eyes, cloaked with a dark sorrow that was reflected in my own, I pondered what exactly his situation was, and why he couldn't do what he wanted. I wanted to know much more about him- to help him, even. Even if he didn't believe I did, and even though I should not, I cared about what happened to him. But something else was bothering me...

"Why only me?" I asked, my voice barely even a breath.

He smiled again, but this time it had no sardonic intentions, but purely charming ones. "Dunno," he teased, the wind blowing his hair into my face. It tickled like the dustings of feathers, and I found myself trying to turn my head away from them with a disgrunted expression and he laughed again. "Guess you're just that charming."

"That sounded like sarcasm."

"I suppose you'll never know."

Just as I was about to fire another comeback at him, both of us lifted our heads to the sound of footsteps drumming against the concrete path, gentle but urgent. It went without saying that Tadase-kun was mortified at the sight of us when he rounded the corner, Ikuto using his legs to pin mine against the rough brick wall and clutching my wrist above my head. A flash of guilt shot through me, hot and shocking as lightning, when I realzied how bad what I was doing  _really_ was, regardless of whether or not I got swept up in a mood. My male companion seemed to be frozen in place as he stared us down, and then his face changed suddenly, to an expression I knew he only showed when the Easter employee was involved.

"Hisayuki-san!" He called out, apparently under the impression that I was being pinned against my will. Which wasn't techinically untrue, but I hadn't been resisting very much, either.

As he approached at more of a run than before, Ikuto released me, and I rubbed my wrist where his hand had just been. It felt- well, obviously not cold, but less warm. More empty, almost lonely. The only thing that lifted my head from staring at its strange smallness was Iktuo leaping a fair distance away, a twisted little smirk on his face, and Tadase-kun running in front of me, throwing out his arms as if to protect me. I blinked a few times at the sweet, if not unneccessary gesture, and smiled a little to myself.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi!" He began, gritting his teeth together so much I could hear them grinding against one another. I winced away from the sound, but Ikuto's smirk only widened. "You're after the Humpty Lock again, aren't you?"

Completely to Tadase-kun's dismay, Ikuto just let out a single chuckle- more of a snort, really- turned his back, and began walking away. Yoru trailed after him, looking back at me and flashing a devious smile, which I scowled at. He'd better not bring that much trouble around again.

"We'll never let you have it!" Tadase-kun was continuing, his volume and temper rising. I had never seen him so agitated before, his skinny frame in front of me shaking in fury. I hesitated before laying my hand on his shoulder, and after he flinched in surprise, he exhaled and seemed to calm down slightly.

"It's okay," I said, attempting to be soothing but just sounding worried. "Nothing happened. I'm okay."

His eyes were filled with disbelief. "Really?"

I nodded, this time managing a reassuring smile. "Yes, really."

Seeming to have overheard or conversation, Ikuto suddenly decided that he wasn't done being a shit disturber yet, and turned back around with flourish and a suggestive look on his face. "What makes you think," he began in a low voice, his head slowly inclining to the side, "that the Humpty Lock is the only thing I'm after?"

Well, what else could it have been? All my eggs had hatched already, so he couldn't mean that he was waiting to see if one was the Embryo... While I struggled to identify his meaning, Tadase-kun seemed to get it immediately, and instead of tensing up even further, his whole body just seemed to go lax in shock. "You can't mean..."

Ikuto's grin grew so wide that he flashed his teeth, but his eyes were a completely different story. They were cast in shadows again, his eyebrows drawn down almost angrily, and it struck me that he looked like he was enjoying watching the younger boy's shock- in the most twisted way. With only a momentary crouch, he sprung into the air and landed delicately on a dead street light, his back to us and tail swishing back and forth in satisfaction.

"See you..." He looked between Tadase-kun and I, and added, "Snow." Tadase-kun jerked back like hearing my name had shot him straight through the chest, and I caught both of his shoulders so we didn't have a full-on collision. Ikuto turned around very precariously on the street light, and called, "By the way."

We looked up at him with matching glares, wondering what else he could possibly want, then were instantly confused when we saw he was cupping his hands around his chest like he was holding something there. Yoru, Lilith, and Viv were in hysterics, seeming to get the joke we did not, but finally did when he said, "Nice boobs."

My arms fell slack to my sides. Apparently my reaction was so hilarious he almost fell from his perch, clutching at his gut and trying not to fall over. Tadase-kun looked at me, a combination of varying emotions swirling on his face, none of them matching my completely blank expression.

Which was broken with an almost audible snap as my face exploded and I screamed, "YA SICK SON OFFA-", only to fall on deaf ears, since he was already bounding out of sight, his snickers carried to my ears by the wind.

I was ready to kill him.

"What was he talking about?" Tadase-kun hedged warily, and I clenched my teeth together.

"Just forget it." He looked like he was about to object, so I fumbled for a new subject. "Did you end up finding Chisa-chan's parents?"

He seemed to sag in relief about escaping the other conversation, and his usual easy smile returned with grace. "Yes. Turns out they weren't too happy about their daughter going missing for almost two hours." He shrugged. "Who would've guessed."

I giggled- actually 'teehee' giggled- in return, when Vivian floated up to glare at me right in my eyes. Before I could ask what she wanted, she gritted out, "We still haven't seen the jellyfish." Everyone rolled their eyes in unison, but Tadase-kun's smile just widened and he suggested we all return to the aquarium.

"Sure," I agreed easily, looking forward to seeing even more fish- and attempting to erase the whole Ikuto incident entirely from my mind. We began striding away, taking our time in enjoying the walk and the breeze, my hair flowing out behind me in such a way that it looked like- embarrisingly enough- streaming milk. I ran a hand through it, attempting to salvage what was left of its usual braided style from the fall, when I noticed Tadase-kun had stopped.

I turned around again to face him, saw him standing there in silence, and a curious smile summoned to my face. "What's the matter?" I asked, though it came out more like "what's a mattah". I blushed slightly and ran my hand over my mouth, mentally yelling at myself for letting the dialect out, and was astonished to see his cheeks turn to lovely pink roses again.

"N-nothing," he stammered, suddenly taking an interest in a nearby maple.

"Weirdo," I laughed easily again, satisfied to note that I didn't sound like a state-hick anymore. He joined in, albeit sounding far more mortified, and our chorus of laughter echoed in the far-off sky as we finally seemed to properly connect, true friends at last.

No one, not even the Guardians, would have guessed that it was the last day things were ever going to normal again.

 

 


	13. A Tragedy of Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow is thrust into a very compromising situation, one that only furthers her confusion about what changes are currently happening to her. Things only manage to get worse when she loses one of the most important things to her.

**Chapter XII**

**_A Tragedy Of Shadows_ **

There was only one explanation: I was dreaming.

That had to be it. I mean, there's no way that something like that could've happened in reality. Though considering all I had been through thus far, I shouldn't have dismissed the idea so easily, but it was one of those very mundane moments when you refuse to accept what's in front of you.

Even with my Shugo Chara apparently having aneurisms beside me from their panicked screaming and spasmodic movements, it was hard to believe that I was cooped up in some old abandoned warehouse with a horde of those creepy withered men from last night.

The day was so completely normal at first: I had been at the aquarium with Tadase-kun, having a grand old time, until an X-Egg showed up. When I rushed off to purify it, I found that Yoru- Ikuto's Shugo Chara- had materialized with the counterpart to my Humpty Lock, the Dumpty Key. Naturally Ikuto tagged along as well, and after a brief heated (and infuriating, from his comment on my bust) discussion between he and Tadase-kun, he made off with his key, leaving us to enjoy what time we had left at the aquarium. We finally saw Vivian's jellyfish, more of the penguins, a dolphin show, and respectively bought souvenirs, then decided it was time to call it a day. He had offered to show me home, but I declined, saying I could make it on my own. In hindsight, that was probably the worst idea I'd ever had, because  _look at me now._

With my hands free- an odd thing to do after essentially kidnapping someone- I scrubbed them down my face as I recounted how this could've happened. The last thing I remembered, I was walking home, the impassioned sunset blazing behind me. Viv, Lilith, and Satsuki were recounting our time at the "palace of fish", as they called it, gushing about all the colourful fish and laughing their asses off at how I got splashed during the dolphin show.

Distinctly, I remembered sardonically mumbling, "Har har", to which they chortled even more. Immediately after that, I felt something behind me. It was a hulking presence as undeniable as my shadow in front of me, but I figured someone was just moving on their way. When I moved to the opposite side of the sidewalk to make room, they had followed. That was when I threw a glance over my shoulder in confusion only to have a sharp explosion go off on the side of my head and my vision was dazzled with stars. After that, all was black.

Which brought me to my current conundrum. I awoke in a complete daze, a throbbing pressure on the side of my skull, and my vision was even more blurry than a fogged-up window. Even when that subsided and I quickly sat up to assess my surroundings, it was nearly impossible to see- everything was dark, not illuminated by any sort of electrical light, but only by the sliver of a moon coming in through a hole in the roof. If that wasn't enough to freak me out, I started hearing sounds that were like rapidly approaching snakes; whispers and hisses all at once, slithering out from the darkness.

Then they showed up- men just like the one on Halloween night. Withered, gray skin, barely any hair, and practically holes for eyes, hunched over like little gremlins. They were talking so quickly and quietly even I couldn't understand, but I could gather from their harsh tones that it was very urgent. After looking at me closely enough that I backed away until slamming into a dark wall, they scuttled further away and knelt into a small circle of Gollum-looking strangers.

"Snow?" Satsuki whispered desperately. Her voice sounded congested, tearful, like she had been crying her eyes out. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, not wanting any of the "men" to see that I was talking to thin air. They'd get suspicious of me and probably attempt to tie me up, seeing as they hadn't already. I tilted my head to the right side to show that it hurt like a bitch, which only made it pound more and a flash of heat zing down my spine and make me wince. When I squinted, I could vaguely see all three of them in front of me- small tears streaming down each of their faces. They all started to blab at once, but I just tried to tune them out and focus on other things.

The snippets of their blubbering I caught were all generally the same- "I'm so sorry", or "this is my fault", or "we should've done something". I didn't hold them responsible in the slightest; it was no one's fault I was freaking abducted. All I could do was calmly and quietly assess the situation and try to find a way out of it.

Even as my heart continuously slammed against my ribcage, I kept my breathing calm and even. The first thing I had to do was ask the five W's- who, what, when, where, why. The Who was easy: multiples of this creepy little man that had tried to do something to me last night, then got spooked by Lee's jester mask that I wore. The What was simply that I had been knocked out and abducted by them. When, on the other hand, was a tiny bit more complicated; it was clearly night from the darkness and the moon in the sky, but what time of night was the real question. I could've been knocked out for only a couple of hours, or for quite a few. There was no clock I could see to tell.

Where was probably the hardest. I had no clue where I was, but there was no sounds of the city nearby. No cars whooshing on the street, no other voices, not even the sounds of nightlife. From the limited things I could see, I was definitely in an old, abandoned warehouse of some kind- or even a factory. It must've been for kids toys, judging from the old, beaten up rocking horse sitting on my right side, and a porcelain doll with ratty white hair and a missing eye on my left. The sound of dripping water was close by, indicating it had either rained recently or something was leaking. Each drip was about five seconds apart, which meant that it was either continuously dropping very quickly from a high ceiling, or dripping slowly from a low one. I supposed that didn't really matter, but who could say for sure. Holes dotted the old, decrepit building here and there, so it couldn't have been made out of brick; unless there was some type of explosion. That could've meant trouble if any sort of flame was involved in the little men's grand kidnapping scheme.

As for the Why: I had no fucking clue. Last night, the man was the one who ran away from me after seeing the mask. He could've been insulted and come back with friends, wasn't frightened because I wasn't wearing it, and wanted revenge. But who would go that far? Could he have been a stalker? I couldn't think of anything I had done that would've warranted a  _stalker,_ unless he had seen me traipsing around Character Transformed with Lilith or something. That might've caught a few eyes.

Okay. So. Questions answered. Now to see what I could do to get out of this mess. I didn't want answers, didn't want to even talk to the creepy guys; all I wanted was to be home, safe, and in bed- wait no, I wanted food. Then sleep. My purse was tangled around my arm, and a very quick and quiet inspection showed that my phone was still there. I didn't check to see if it was on- the brightness would've given me away. But it was there as a last resort, or if I managed to get away somehow. There were no exits that I could see, unless I was willing to opt for one of the holes. I was sure I could maneuver through one on my own, but only if I was okay with losing time. Thank goodness for strategy RPGs; I was pretty sure I would've been at a loss by now if I had no knowledge of this fantasy-sort of happening.

The only way I was sure this was real now was the constant pounding on my head. I lifted my hand carefully to delicately probe it, only to find a sizable bump hidden underneath my thick hair. Lovely. Not to mention that, the whole hair thing? A complete disaster. I was glad it was messy now and not when Ikuto had been- wait, why was I thinking of that now? That was  _not_ a priority.

"Okay," I started to the girls. My voice had to be so quiet, more quiet than a breath. I barely even breathed as they edged as close to my mouth as possible to hear me whisper, "Go check around for exits or weakness. Don't go getting any help yet- I want to avoid getting anyone else involved."

"No!" Lilith said, her golden eyes shining with unshed tears. "We can't just leave you here!"

"Then two of you go, one stay."

Vivian and Satsuki went off, since Lilith would've been the easiest to escape with if I needed to. Unfortunately, as soon as the other two dashed off, the little goblins decided that time for incomprehensible chat was over and crept up to me, their heads ticking back and forth like curious birds'.

"How sssstrange," said one, apparently the ringleader from the way he stood at the front of the gathering- quite possibly the same one from last night. "I could have sssworn ssshe was of the Ssstiria." Yup. Definitely.

"I can't sssenssse anything," another hissed, his voice higher-pitched than the first. "It feelsss like sssomething isss there, but it'sss very weak."

"No, no, no, there'sss definitely sssomething," spat another, a loud thwack resounding as he apparently swat the one over the head. "It'sss jussst not overwhelming."

Now I was more interested in hearing the answers to the Why questions, since I had little scouts probing the area. I had time. So I gulped down the terrified, bulbous lump in my throat and shakily got out, "Who are you people?"

To my shock and appallment, they began to laugh. It was a horrible sound, the sound of sandpaper being drawn roughly and endlessly against wood. I grit my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut as one simply said, "'People'. Ssshe definitely can't be of the Ssstiria."

"But ssshe had the mark," the first objected again, sounded unconvinced.

"What are the Stiria?" I tried again, that question dusting the back of my mind since last night. Lilith edged closer to me and pressed against my neck, her warmth providing some comfort.

I could've sworn he rolled his eyes. "It sssimply meansss one from Ssstiriacusss."

"And where is that?"

They laughed again, a grating chorus of howls slicing into the night.

"We don't need to anssswer your questionsss," said one hiss from the back of the group. "Anssswersss are ussselesss when you're dead."

_Dead._

The word rang in my mind again and again, like it was a hollow space.

They were planning on killing me.

Initially, I thought there was a possibility of this being some prank. Or, worst-case-scenario, a gang rape. But they were going to  _kill_ me. That was extreme by the very definition of the word. What had I done to somehow deserve death? Why did they want to erase my very existence? I had done nothing to them!  
"Human girlsss can be fun," chuckled the first one again. "But thisss one isss too much trouble. No point keeping her if not Ssstiria."

My heart had near-stopped beating, but it kicked into gear again once Vivian and Satsuki returned. Vivian swept low to my ear, Satsuki incapable of speech from all her blubbering and sobbing. "There's an exit due west of here." After a momentary pause, she elaborated. "That's to your left, Snow, not right."

But what would I do if I got out of here? Surely I couldn't make it far; I had no idea where I was. If I ran, there was always the possibility they would chase after me, and with no sense of direction, I'd simply be caught again. But I couldn't just sit here and let them... A painful, searing lump formed in my throat that I couldn't even gulp down if I tried. I couldn't just let them kill me. I'd have to do two things to get out of here safely: figure out a way to buy their time, and bolt straight for the exit and pray they'd be distracted enough not to notice immediately. If they were average speed, I could outrun them; I'd figure the rest out from there.

When I escaped, I had to consider calling someone- anyone to tell them what happened. The police seemed like my best bet, and the Guardians... I thought of how happy Tadase-kun was today, how normal and light everything had been. I had been actually enjoying myself to the fullest, so much I felt like I was going to explode. I couldn't ruin that feeling for anyone else. I'd keep this a secret- as much as I possibly could. I didn't need anyone to save me; I could make it on my own, like I always have.

Just as soon as I firmed my resolve and began hatching some sort of distraction plan- that may have involved little invisible people breaking things- I felt a painful, blazing tug on my hair that made me withhold a cry of pain and outrage. All that over-analyzing and thinking had cost me too much time- the little men were advancing on me, and sweat began to bead out in places I didn't even know it could as panic settled deep in the pit of my stomach, forming and solidifying like a hunk of ice. It was exactly like a nightmare, watching viciously clawed hands reaching out from the darkness to poke and prod, and then  _pull._  The thick, dusty, and browning claws tore right through my shirt as they dug into my stomach, and I tried my best to resist thrashing, since it'd only earn me more scars. Backing away didn't exactly work anymore; I was already up against a wall. There was nowhere to go without escaping completely unscathed.

They started to make these sounds- some sort of scratchy, eager groans. That was repulsive enough to make me edge frantically to the side. It was hard for even me to believe that there were people out there who got actual pleasure from killing- from taking someone's life and leaving a hole in other's. My hair stuck to the back of my neck as I crab-walked backwards and to the side, my hand coming to rest in something wet. I didn't know what it was- water, oil, something else I didn't want to put a name to- but instinct seemed to take over me.

I submerged my hand entirely into the pool of unidentified liquid, then flung out my hand in a straight, horizontal line. Gasps ripped through the silence from the direction my Shugo Chara floated in as the droplets almost instantly formed to small icicles and pierced through the men's skin with a squishy, puckering sound that reminded me of a piece of raw meat being flung to the ground. Now their hisses were angry and frustrated rather than anticipating, and their darkened eyes seemed to blaze up like black flames. Rather than being proud of myself for being able to control it for once, I was more terrified than ever for having angered these men- but instead of advancing further, they seemed to step back a little bit.

"Ssshe isss Ssstiria!" The leader exclaimed, pointing an accusatory claw at me- like being whatever that was, was  _my_ fault. "Ssshe hasss the powersss to prove it!"

"But sssomething isssn't right," said one from directly beside him, moving a tad bit closer to examine me again. "It'sss like her power isssn't... complete."

There was a moment of startled silence from everyone. Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki looked incredibly nervous, the men were shocked by their companion's own words, and I was just incapable of speech from not having the slightest inkling of what they were talking about. Then the air seemed to shift to something far more hostile, and they're faces turned from curious to terrifyingly  _feral._

"I know who ssshe isss!" Called one of them from the back, sounding far too disgusted for comfort. "Ssshe'sss that abomination!"

... _Abomin-_  look who the heck was talking! They didn't know me in the slightest, and I understood that showing the ice mojo to strangers would earn a completely warranted appalled reaction, but  _abomination?_  They were speaking of me like I was the scum of the earth- that I was polluting the world just by breathing. It reminded me of the kitsunes all over again, and once I realized that they weren't the only ones to practically say I didn't have the right to be alive, I began thinking it was true. Maybe I didn't understand why it was justified, but they seemed to- there must have been something to horribly and grotesquely wrong with me that I was completely blind to it.

As I sat completely still in shock, the men growling and advancing, Vivian was hurriedly whispering in my ear: "Don't listen to them! There's nothing wrong with you- you're just a bit  _different-_ "

"Ssshe ssshould have died a long time ago." The comment wasn't directed at me, but it still felt like a slap to the face. "Wonder why ssshe'sss ssstill alive?"

"Who knowsss. But sssurely Hisss Majesssty would be more than thrilled to hear that we were the onesss to cleanssse the world of her presssence." The group of them gave a powerful whoop that seeemed to shake the very fragile building we were in, and I cringed away, a foreign stinging irritating the back of my eyes.

"Jussst imagine how high our rank will become!" That scathing, nails-on-a-chalkboard laughter again that made me claw my hands over my ears and wish to tear them off. I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't want to be here. Everything in my body was completely numb from shock and pure, unfiltered  _hurt,_  their harsh words stabbing into me like acupuncture needles paralyzing me forever.

The words continued as they began tearing at me again- words like "atrocity", "sin", "filth", and even "vermin". What could I have possibly done to earn such judgement from people I didn't even know? I didn't do anything wrong- I wasn't a freak- I was normal-  _there was not anything wrong with me!_

"STOP IT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my throat scalding, so completely dry and irritated it felt parched. The opposite of the effect I hoped my scream would have happened; instead of backing away in surprise, the leader of the men reeled forward, his claws slashing right through the fabric of my scarf and tearing open the skin on my collarbone. Red began spilling from it, an eerie crimson waterfall cascading and staining all the way down my white shirt, the liquid all too warm against my already blazing skin. I watched it in a daze, only faintly registering that the numbness was giving way to a blistering pain.

Then there was a blinding flash of light that I had to squeeze my eyes shut to avoid, and even then the afterimages swam against my eyes. It did not last long; black and red began to crawl into the edges of my eyes, indicating that I was losing a lot of blood, and very quickly. As if from a distance, I heard wails and howls of pain, that same sound of piercing into thick meat, and then just nothing. The silence was darkness, and darkness was silence, both leaving me with the impression of a hollow, blank space. I pitched over to the side, no longer capable of supporting my own weight, unable to respond to my Shugo Chara's cries of distress.

I never hit the ground.

Instead, it felt like I was being lifted up by a strong, vise-like grip, clutching at me as if I were a lifeline. Someone had swooped in and saved me, like some kind of hero- a hero whose arm's were shaking, not from my weight (they lifted me as if I didn't have any, actually), but from fear. Opening my eyes to see who it was seemed like too much effort- my eyelids were so heavy, smothering me like a thick blanket. Each breath of mine came out shaky and stuttering, the movement of my chest causing new pain to tear into what would be a brand new scar each time.

"I am so sorry," said the deep voice of my saviour, their voice trembling like the string of a bass having just been plucked. "I am so sorry I did not get here sooner... sorry for ever leaving you by yourself."

That same biting pressure shoved against the back of my eyes, leaving them to sting in a way I swore I felt before. Then I realized what it was with a start- it was tears, screaming at me to be let out. I hadn't cried since that day I beat the tar out of Mao for teasing me, and even then it was silent and sobless, quiet, quivering tears snaking their way down my pallid cheeks. The words of the eerily familiar voice seemed to violently tear something apart inside me, something I had wanted to hear not from them, but from someone else who had left a long time ago.

"I swear," they continued, and I remotely felt my legs swing back and forth from being carried out of the building. I wondered what had happened to all of those men, wondered if they had fled, but the metallic scent punching my nostrils told me something I didn't really want to hear. "I swear I will protect you from now on. You will never be alone again."

I still didn't cry, but a savage feeling coiled in my stomach and chest, like I was going to throw up. I had to open my eyes. I had to see who was saying this to me, the words I had wanted to hear for so long.

With great difficulty, I opened my eyes into slits. And the last thing I saw before I fainted for the second time that night was a black and white jester's mask, caught in a permanent, taunting smile.

* * *

Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki should've known me well enough to expect that as soon as I got out of my one-day-long comatose and shocked state, they were going to get a serious grilling session.

Yet, they still had the gall to act surprised and pretend that nothing had happened. Completely bedridden and more than a little depressed from lack of food intake, I was a teensy bit snippy, and was not in the mood to deal with their evasiveness.

"Listen to me, you little shits." Okay, maybe more than a little snippy. "I have questions, and I think that I have a right to answers more than ever now. Look at this," I spat venomously, pressing two fingers to the already pink, puckered straight slice running from the dip in my collarbone to the end near my right shoulder. It was in the most awkward, near-impossible to hide place, unless I was keen on wearing scarves for the rest of my life. The ones so lovingly gifted from my mother were more than easily concealed with a shirt, but this? No. "Look at this fu- freaking mess," I corrected, softening slightly when I observed their cringes. "This ain't goin' away anytime soon. Now. Are ya prepared ta give me straight answers?"

They didn't look at me, but said, "Sure."

First and foremost: "Who were those men?"

Vivian responded. "Not men; um, things. Let's just call them things."

I grit my teeth. "O-kay. What did they want with me?"

"To kill you." This coming so lightheartedly from Lilith that I nearly considered taking her and drowning her in the cup of water by my bed- which couldn't have been gotten by them or me, so apparently it just materialized.

"Why?"

Satsuki piped in this time, her answer far more gentle than the other two. "They didn't like you very much."

" _Why?_ " I pressed, clenching a fist into my duvet.

"Bad genes." That was the only answer they gave me, but I had to admit it wasn't all that surprising. My mother was certifiable, and my father dropped off the face of the earth. I wasn't too surprised that they might've wracked up a few enemies that'd be coming after me for a sense of comeuppance.

"Good enough... for now," I warned, earning an eye roll from the two sardonic ones. "So, what are the Stiria?"

Apparently that one was less like pulling teeth, since Lilith answered easily. "They're a race of people."

My bristling and furious reaction was evidently completely unwarranted, since they all seemed taken aback when I slammed a fist on my bedside table, making the water slosh over the sides of the glass, then solidify into ice before it dripped to the floor. "Does it mean 'Albino'? Because if it does, I swear to fucking god-"

"It doesn't," Satsuki intervened quickly, holding her hands out as if to calm down the fire of my rage. "It's um... well, it's hard to describe. Er... in the beginning, there was-"

"I don't need the story of creation," I tiffed, a look of pure impatience on my face.

She frowned deeply, nearly invisible lines creasing the sides of her cheeks. "But that's seriously the only way to describe it."

"Forget it, Suki," Lilith groaned with a dismissive wave. "She's not ready anyway." She barely dodged out of the way when my hand shot out to grab her in frustration, sick and tired of "not being ready".

"Just listen," Vivian broke in. "Basically, it's one of those races based on a monarchy that has begun to fade overtime, eroding from everyone's memories until they have completely dissolved into the background." She thought over her next words a bit, clearly editing for my benefit. "They are still remembered by some people... but only when they're frightened. As people grow, and as the industrial revolution just keeps crippling the old ways, they become more and more forgotten."

"Sounds sad," I admitted begrudgingly. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"You heard the things," Lilith shrugged. "You're a descendant."

"And this race..." I continued, suddenly not wanting my questions to be answered anymore. I was terrified of the answer, terrified of hearing that I really was a freak, unlike anyone else around me. A lone member of a race long forgotten. "They have white hair, pale skin, weird eyes, are freakishly tall..."

Viv nodded. "Typically, yes. It's genetics."

"So... my dad was a member?"

They seemed completely shocked that I had made that connection. But what else was I supposed to think? I had obviously inherited those traits from him. "He was," Satsuki murmured quietly, seeming more forlorn than she was previously. I realized why with a silent start that left me leaning back into my pillows and unwilling to speak anymore. We were speaking of him in the past tense again. It was like acknowledging that he really didn't exist anymore, that he was fading away just like the people we were allegedly a part of.

To say I was having a hard time grasping all of this information would have been the understatement of the year.

With a sigh, I crumpled beneath my duvet and snuggled into my sheets- smelling crisply of fabric softener that was so good I wanted to cry- making disgruntled moaning sounds. I could practically hear the eye rolls of Viv and Lilith, and Satsuki just laughed good-naturedly. "That's it for the inquiry?" She teased, as if everything were light and normal again.

There was a chance they could sense it. But then there was a chance that they still couldn't. Something was changing inside of me, shifting and turning like the gears of a clock that had been broken for forever and a day. My frozen time began to thaw again, returning to the way it had been so long ago, with all of the new information. Something was going to happen very soon. And slowly, surely, I was beginning to adapt to it.

But just like the shadows of falling leaves performed a mischievous play across my floor through the balcony doors, it was dark and foreboding. That "something" that was going to happen was not going to be good. A tragedy, perhaps.

Nonetheless, I peeked over the covers and forced a sardonic grin. "For today," I warned, and they all began whistling nonchalantly, perfectly in synch.

The mask I had placed upon my face was as perfect as the jester's.

Right on cue, a knock began thumping politely at the door- not the door to my apartment, but to my  _room._  I sat there for a moment, debating, and figured it must've been unlocked. Also, I had no idea how I even got home in the first place. The last thing I remembered was a black and white face smiling at me, then I woke up in bed, throbbing everywhere and my cut already healed. Figuring I was keeping my guest waiting, I shoved those thoughts aside for the moment and called, "Come in."

It wasn't really all that surprising to see Lee slide cautiously into the room, conspicuously leaving the door wide open behind him. He summoned up a smile upon seeing me, but he looked more worse for the wear than I did. There was a heavy slouch to his posture, like a giant weight was settled on his shoulders, and dark bags under his eyes made them seem almost puffy, like he had gotten beaten up. "You're looking better," he began, a slight croak to his voice.

Seeing him all ragged like that, I cut right to the chase. "Were you the one who's been taking care of me?" I gestured vaguely to the water on the nightstand, almost knocking it over before the girls caught it and pushed it back into an upright position with a vicious effort.

Now he seemed more sheepish than tired. "Yes," he confessed, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "Imagine my surprise when I came home from work to find you collapsed in the hallway, all battered-up and torn apart." His body was racked with a shudder. "So- apologies in advance- I went into your purse to grab your keys, unlocked the apartment, and brought you here."

"Well..." I began hesitantly, many questions still unanswered. "Thank you very much," I finally murmured with a smile as bright as I could manage. In that moment, I also felt a beam of something like pride, since I had made a grown man flush red like the teenagers I was surrounded by every day.

"No problem," he muttered, scuffling his feet on the wood floor. Vivian was shooting him a weirdly disgusted look from her position on the table, like the very thought of the man being one of the city's leaders repulsed her. "So, what happened, exactly?" He asked me.

Now this was the hard part: to confess, or not to confess. Would anyone really believe me if I told them the truth about what happened? If so, then what? Even I wasn't entirely sure what the whole episode was about. I'd really rather forget it; being called 'vermin' and 'abomination' did terrible things to my ego.

I bowed my head slightly, my hair curling like tendrils of frost against the riot of cold colours on my duvet cover. Vaguely, I gestured for him to sit in the desk chair, and he daintily complied, keeping to the edge of the cushion. "I... don't know," I said, not entirely a lie. I just couldn't bring myself to explain what had happened in detail; fear would undoubtedly leak into my voice, splotches of pure red paint against a white, void facade, and I was more than unwilling to show any sign of weakness to anyone. People took advantage of the first crack in defense they saw, with hordes of history and memories of mine to prove it. "I think I was kidnapped. I was knocked out, and... I don't know, just woke up here."

That  _was_  incredibly far-fetched, and it was quite obviously a lie. My hands were busy fiddling with the sheets, my eyes darting all around the room to avoid coming into contact with his. The silence between us began to weigh on me like a burdensome shadow. He could call me out on the lie, he could ignore it all together, he could not even care to stick around... none of the possibilities were too desirable.

After the silence was painfully stretched thin, he finally said, "How odd." That was the end of it. He didn't meet my gaze when I finally lifted my head, which sent a white-hot flash of guilt spearing straight through my chest. He knew I was lying, and he was choosing not to pry about it. Yet again I came to wonder why such a man was being so kind to me, of all people, a foolish teenager who merely came to live beside him unsuspectingly. He was so nice, so mature, so much... well, better than I was. He was an adult that was being friends with me of his own volition.

A twisted smirk contorted my features when I thought of how someone as influential as him was willingly friends with vermin.

"So," he began again awkwardly, slapping his hands on his knees. "What say you to some food? You must be starving."

My eyebrows skyrocketed, matching my wincing expression. "Your cooking? I'm not too sure about that..."

He made a show of rolling his eyes. "Funny. I was thinking take-out."

"A sick person eating take-out? Is that a wise decision?"

"Well, if you ate my food, I would actually have to take you to the hospital this time," he cautioned, his expression so serious I couldn't help but laugh. "You chortle, but I'm not kidding."

"Take-out it is then." I pointed to my purse, which had been haphazardly tossed to the floor; most likely in his frantic rush to get me into the house and properly resting. "There's money in my wallet."

He shook his head, which permitted me to notice that his ponytail had grown in length; when it had once merely grazed the space between his shoulders, it now reached to the middle of his back. It had grown so quickly in just a matter of days, yet another trait we seemed to share. "Nuh-uh. My treat."

My eyes narrowed into slits. "We'll split."

He must've known me well enough by then to realize that I was too stubborn and too proud to have people pay for me with no additional consequences- so he merely heaved a weighted sigh and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, emerging with his cell phone. "Pizza fine?"

"I think you know the answer to that question."

With a chuckle, he suavely exited my room, shutting the door gently behind him to leave me to my own devices.

Immediately after his departure, I leaped from bed, eager to finally get my legs moving again- which instantly left my head spinning with vertigo and falling back into a sitting position. I groaned and bounced my legs up and down as quickly as I could to get my blood circulating properly again- it had been a full day since I had moved around at all, and I needed to start again soon before muscle aches and pains tore into my body. I looked down at myself, my expression changing as I did, and it was evidently entertaining enough to the two torturers of my teeny posse that thye burst into uncanny laughter. I wasn't wearing the outfit I had been that day- granted, it was more than likely covered in stains of red, but that meant something to me, something I didn't really feel comfortable with.

Someone had changed my clothes. And it wasn't my Shugo Chara; they were far too small and physically inept to accomplish such. That only left one other suspect.

"Kill me now," I groaned into my hands, only half-joking. Their laughter quieted into a suspenseful silence, leaving me to do what I could to maintain a presentable appearance. I needed a shower, that was for sure. I did have school tomorrow, after all. I threw off my tank top and pajama shorts, sincerely hoping that they had miraculously just materialized on me and a grown man didn't see me in my undergarm-

He saw my scars.

The thought hit me so suddenly the hanger preferring a striped long-sleeved shirt fell to the floor with a clatter when it slipped from my hands. If Lee really had changed my clothes, like I was dreading he did, they were impossible not to notice. They were like disturbing ink blotches on a perfectly white sheet of paper, effectively ruining the whole product and leaving it to be shoved somewhere where no one would remember. But he hadn't brought them up. Maybe he was just being considerate of my feelings again.

 _He really is too good for me,_ I thought to myself with a bitter laugh as I gathered the shirt of the floor and pulled it on. I opted for my amazing butt-enhancing denim capris that I was sure would kindle a perverse remark from some cat-wannabe, thankful I wasn't going to see him today. But really, what did I know- he tended to pop out of nowhere. Just as I gave myself a once-over in the floor-length mirror on the door of my closet, I paused, making a pensive expression directed at the right corner of the ceiling.

"What's with you?" Lilith snorted, flipping her ponytail over her back. How she could be so shameless and expose excessive amounts of skin like that- no matter how tiny- was beyond me. "Is there a spider up there?" Her tone began to border on panicked. "If there is, kill it! It may seem like nothing to you, but it's almost the same size as-"

"No, no," I quickly rectified. "I was just thinking- what if I could do something to cover up my scars?"

They knew me well enough by then that they were instantly suspicious, narrowing their eyes in unison. "This is not going to be intelligent," Vivian muttered to herself.

"What if I... put foundation on them?" I wondered aloud, actually considering how it would look.

Suddenly Vivian was chucking her rabbit to the ground, stomping her feet on the tabletop and exaggeratedly throwing her hands in the air. "I'M DONE!" She screeched, floating away whilst shaking her head. "I'M DONE!"

"No, but really-" I turned around to try and plead my case, but Lilith distracted me by bashing her head against the wall.

"THIS IS THE WORST IDEA YOU'VE EVER HAD!"

I began chuckling to myself, pretending that I had only been joking to get a rise out of them- when in reality I had actually been considering applying makeup to my stomach and back. "I highly doubt that."

"Yeah, guys," Satsuki said, trying to appease the situation with her smile of the utmost grace. "The worst idea she's ever had was when she built that little shrine space in her closet to Ian Somerhalder and asked Mao to get her a pair of shoes from there and he-"

"AHHH NEVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN!" I howled, falling to my knees and covering my ears. What could I say- the guy was gorgeous.

There was a circumspect knock at my door, and Lee's voice warily leaking through: "Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard yelling..."

"I'm fine!" I laughed, suspiciously high-pitched and loud. "Just, uh, talking to someone on the phone!"

Again, the lie was obvious, and his voice was softer now, more concerned for my mental health for screaming at nothing. "Well, uh, the pizza will be here soon. Are you well enough to get up?"

Considering that I already was... "Yup," I called, more relaxed than before. I raked a brush quickly through the snowball of my head and decided to ignore the incessant shots at my pride from Lilith and Vivian- who were probably going to be going on about that whole foundation thing for a week.

I had to admit- eating pizza alone with Lee in my apartment felt more intimate than it should have. As if we had been friends torn apart by time and were thrown back together when fate thought the time was right. We turned on the television, and he put up with my lame shows like  _Love it or List it_ , supplying input whenever he thought the time was right. I covered my legs with the afghan I folded neatly and laid across the back of the couch, not feeling cold (of course), but merely longing for more comfort. Ever since the whole, ahem, accidental holding incident with Ikuto, I felt... deprived somehow. Like the privilege of exchanging warmth between two people had been prohibited to me, like I had no right to experience such a thing again. But of course I didn't have the right- I was a monster, after all.

It was so easy to pretend that Friday night/Saturday morning never happened. So simple and painless to act like everything was normal, to forget and shove the memories into the darkness where everything I hid deep inside would remain until the end of my days. I told myself that it was okay to live this way, to enjoy the time that I had with Lee and the Guardians, to live without really doing so.

I could lie to myself for just a little while longer.

* * *

As much as I hated to say it, that was only the beginning.

On Monday, school continued as usual- like the weekend had never even passed. Students were sluggish and dragging their feet, as per the usual beginning-of-the-week atmosphere, teachers equally as disgruntled and giving half-hearted responses to questions. However, the Guardians were chipper as always- it was like having small friends who were always by your side improved your lifestyle, made you want to be the best person you could be. This included getting up early whilst remaining chipper and alive, and not a total slob.

Apparently I missed that memo. Now I would always be just plain paranoid of things that went bump in the night, but I believed that fear to be rightfully justified- I got kidnapped and a severe verbal thrashing, after all. Information which I withheld from the Guardians, but for good reason- namely because I didn't want to worry them, more because I didn't want to get them involved in case those men ever came back (but from the strong scent of iron that flooded the building at the time, I didn't believe they would), and subsequently because I just didn't want them to know. It was kind of humiliating to admit that I had been weak enough to be caught off-guard and taken away against my own will, and unable to do anything in that situation but back away and scream. Mortification made my cheeks burn and the backs of my eyes sting during lunch break- a fact they all had noticed when I began scrubbing the heel of my hand into my eyes.

"Whoa, Tadase, I didn't know you had it in you," Kukai-kun said, his voice a low, suggestive murmur.

That, of course, instantly threw our king for a loop. "What are you talking about, Souma-kun?" He asked politely, his head tilting to the side like a dog's whose name had just been called by an unfamiliar voice.

"You know," the firebush chanted, his eyebrows waggling with each syllable he dragged out. "To traumatize Hisayuki enough that you're making her blush and cry just by looking at you."

Both of us began to object in our own respects, both with faces that complimented his hair, his polite and reserved while mine was very unladylike and thuggish. The others only laughed at our shenanigans, Yaya-san even holding her head in her hands and laughing so hard she sobbed, probably more at the fact that she had unabashedly abandoned the two of us on a date- all of them were probably imagining just how awkward that was, thus bringing the abasement to a new level.

However, we all jumped and nearly collapsed out of our chairs when we saw that we suddenly weren't the only ones in the Royal Garden.

A girl had appeared out of nowhere- wait, that wasn't exactly right. More like she had appeared from my nightmares. She was the embodiment of shadow, seeming to bring down the entire atmosphere of the once fairytale-like glass greenhouse, dragging dark smears of cloud across the sky and killing the flowers that once stood strong and proud. Not literally, of course, but the look on her face might as well have. Here I was under the impression that Lee's hair was really black, but I stood corrected when I saw hers, completing enveloping her like the darkest of velvet, cushiony and voluptuous. Her bangs were a straight slash across her equally dark brows, mercifully covering her glowering eyes- eyes that gave Tadase-kun's a run for their money in a reddish colour. They were the only thing about her that didn't come off as a shadows stripped off the ground and come to life. They looked so sad, so worried- mournful even.

"You are the Seiyo Academy Guardians, correct?" She began, her voice surprisingly girlish and small, just like her petite frame dwarfed by her hair.

"Uh, yes, that's right," Yaya-san announced, standing from her chair to get a good look at our guest. When she appraised her fully, her eyes narrowed, having a stern competition for a small, cutesy-looking girl. Only while Yaya-san was more childish and babylike, this girl was probably a gothic lolita. "What can we do ya for?"

"Sixty bucks an hour," Kukai-kun snickered under his breath, earning a harsh swat from me.

The second I moved, the girl's gaze snapped to me- and it was so fierce and filled with anticipation that I froze where I sat. Her carmine eyes gained a spark to them that made them ignite, pure-red flames snapping in her otherwise spilling ink presence. The first thought that occupied my mind was half-offended, half-freaked-out, wondering why she was looking at me like I was something scrumptious on her plate at the dinner table. Even as she continued to speak, she held my gaze, trapping an innocent rabbit underneath a wolf's overwhelming paw. "Your position is to assist students with any unfortunate situations they come into, yes?"

"I suppose so," Nadeshiko-san murmured, her smile kind and polite as well as curious. "Is there something we can help you with?"

We should've known from the second we noticed her that she wasn't from here, considering none of us had ever seen her before. But when we all noticed the Mayosu Academy uniform at the same time, we simultaneously took in sharp breaths, moving from willingly helpful to suspicious and guarded.

"Who are you?" Kukai-kun said lowly, his voice one octave above a growl.

The girl's smile was just as affable as it was terrifying. "My name is I- Isabelle," she stumbled awkwardly, leaving me to grow even more suspecting that something wasn't entirely in place here. Who stumbled over their own name like that? Well, anyone would if they were nervous, but her expression and stance were completely contrary to that; she stood proud and straight-backed as if she belonged there, like every speck of light and beauty surrounding her deserved a speck of pitch. "And I require your service to a pressing matter."

"And what is that?" I asked, more quiet and more uncertain than my companions. They didn't trust her presence here- that was not to say that I did, but something about her was just... off. I did not want to get all presumptuous around her and find out what it may be the hard way.

Her expression slipped from confident and striking to mournful and devastated. "Well- you see, the truth is that my classmates are not exactly being entirely pleasant around me," she admitted, though she sounded like she did so begrudgingly. "Mayosu Academy has no clearly defined organization such as yours where students such as myself may seek sanctuary. Everyone fends for themselves, only cares for themselves."

"I can believe that," Tadase-kun muttered under his breath, the most pessimistic thing I had ever heard him say.

"I cannot simply stand by and take it any longer." Her voice came out like a ripped-apart sob, and I was surprised to see that she was shaking, like the strain of holding in her emotions and frustration was threatening to tear her apart from the inside-out. "However, I am too afraid to attempt to confront them on my own. So..." She averted her gaze to a patch of bright violet peonies nearby, and they seemed to cower under her shadow. "I did not know where else to go."

"I see," Nadeshiko-san murmured sympathetically. "Well, helping students from other schools isn't necessarily under our jurisdiction..."

"...But we'll see what we can do," Kukai-kun finished with a tone of finality, taking us all by surprise. "No matter where you come from, bullying is the same. We all suffer in the same way. So it doesn't matter whether or not you're a Mayosu." His usually carefree grin had a hidden undertone of sadness- and maybe a bit of regret. "Your tears are just like ours. So... we'll help."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" He demanded, a russet colour flooding into his cheeks. " _What?!_ "

"That was the most mature and insightful thing I have ever heard you say,  _ever_ ," I told him, my eyes popping out of their sockets in shock.

He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat, but it was more out of an adorable embarrassment than being grossed out. "Shut up, Hisayuki, if you know what's good for you."

"Ooh, I'm scared."

Kukai-kun chucked a cookie at my head. Crumbs stuck in my hair, dribbling into my eyes like droplets of water, and Yaya-san leapt up and wrapped her all-bone arms around my waist just before I could smack him right in the kisser.

You would think such weird behavior from complete strangers would turn the unsuspecting observer away without a second thought. But Isabelle took one look at our antics that were actually becoming a daily thing and began lapsing into hysterics. Nadeshiko-san and Tadase-kun were easily chuckling along as I sat back down in my seat, disgruntled and feeling as if I had lost.

"You guys are very  _interesting,_ " the girl of darkness said, opening her eyes- once squeezed shut in laughter- that came to rest on me. The feeling I got right in that moment was the same as if someone had locked gazes with a ghost- frozen in fear, wanting to run, but unable to move. The two wide spheres of cardinal red stared at me ruthlessly, a fork pinning me down on a dinner table, and a grin widened on her porcelain face like she was actually preparing to eat me. Her teeth were as white as my hair, sharper than most. Suddenly I was reminded of a shark lurking inside of dark waters looking at her, of the vacant yet predatory look in their eyes when Tadase-kun and I saw them at the aquarium. It was almost like she was a homicidal puppet.

Immediately my twitching smile disappeared and I shook my head vigorously. What right did I have to so apathetically judge someone I didn't even know just because of how she looked? I knew I didn't particularly enjoy it when people did that to me; I should get to know her better and help her before anything else.

"Then I will be back tomorrow at lunch time," she finalized with another smile, more serene and confident than the first, less mindless. "I will indulge you further in the details. For now..." She dipped into a small bow and began walking back towards the entrance of the garden, small kitten heels clicking along with her.

Yaya-san stood back up from her chair and waved spastically. "See you then!"

As soon as the heavy glass door shut behind her with a thunderous slam, the first words out of Kukai-kun's mouth were: "Well, she was weird."

I swat him on the arm. "Don't say that. We don't even know her."

His eyes swung to meet mine, narrowed and suspicious. "Like you have any right to talk. You looked  _terrified_ of her, Hisayuki."

"I'm not..." I heaved a heavy sigh, not wanting to lie any more than I already did. "She just took me off guard a little, alright? I'm not  _scared_ of her."

"Yuh-huh," he muttered, clearly a nonbeliever.

With a grunt, I scraped back my chair and stood, scooping up my bag along the way. "Whatever. I'm going to class."

"Aw, I didn't mean to make you mad!"

"You didn't!" I snapped, then forced a smile to try and prove my case- which came out looking more insane than sincere. "I just don't want to be late. Text me if anything come up, okay?"

Tadase-kun waved his phone at me with his trademark heart-melting smile. "As always. We'll see you later."

I copped off our partings with a boy-scout salute I'd regret for the rest of my life when I saw him bow his head slightly in laughter, then began following the same path the mysterious girl had just wandered down, like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. The door closed behind me with the same heavy thud, and I shoved my hands in my blazer pockets before continuing to swish through the long, dying grass towards the imposing building.

"What is this?" Lilith drew out slowly, her voice creeping towards a suggestive tone. "You and Tadase are so  _close_ now."

As I flushed and was about to shoot back a reply, Vivian barked out a laugh and interjected. "Yeah. Texting each other if the slightest thing comes up?" She swat the back of my neck, a true feat considering the mass of white forest she had to navigate through to get there. "Girl, you got it bad."

"I do not," I hissed automatically, not even knowing the very definition of the words. Many a time before had I mulled over the subject of love, and thought of it as something completely beyond me, out of my reach. I did not 'have it bad'; with a cruel smile directed towards myself, I realized that vermin probably were not even capable of feeling such a thing. The image of myself holding hands with someone, even gazing into their eyes with emotion so deep one could drown in it, was so distant and vague it was like staring at it through layers of abundant fog.

That didn't make me any less upset about it. I pitched a deep sigh and kicked a nearby pebble, grumbling to myself and the girls about the corniness and futility of teenage relationships. When the small rock should have made skittering noises until it was a distance away, it seemed to stop very close by, with a squishy thud and a small voice hissing, "Ow."

Immediately I turned around to apologize and see who I had hurt. "I'm sorry," I sputtered, outstretching my hands in an attempt to be comforting. But as soon as I did, they fell slack to my sides again, confusion written all over my face like a question mark. No one was there.

"Down here," said the same voice, and it sounded as though it was speaking through static. I wondered if it was a Shugo Chara talking, and conspiratorially knelt closer to the ground smoothly, my hair fluffing around me, to see who had spoken. Not a Guardian Character in sight.

"Am I going crazy?" I asked Satsuki, who seemed completely paralyzed in shock by something hidden between a few blades of grass. When I crawled forward on my knees slightly, damp soil turning pallid white to an earthy brown, I could see why, and my reaction was the exact same.

A mad, mad smile froze on my face, the expression of someone watching the world burn.

"Honestly," said a vivid, long black snake from the grass, shaking its head sadly like I should be ashamed of myself. How it had gotten there was beyond me, but there it was, a stark contrast to the rapidly bleaching grass, it forked tongue slithering between its teeth as it observed me with far too intelligent ruby eyes. "To think that you are the one we have been searching for all this time. What a disappointment."

To my utter horror and denial, it seemed to give out a little  _snort._ "But what can we do? You are incomplete, after all. I suppose we are just working with what we have got."

It blinked at me quickly, as if expecting a response. So naturally, I did what any coherent person would do if a very dangerous-looking snake spontaneously started talking to you after kicking it with a rock.

"There was a... talking snake outside," I panted to Deryn as I collapsed in the threshold of the home economics room, after having run so quickly I was a blur of white from the scene.

She looked at me, blinked once owlishly, and said, "I believe you."

"Deryn," I nearly sobbed, dragging myself across the ground to rest by her feet, not even caring that my uniform was getting dirty. "Everything is so messed up."

She showed no sign of affection, and yet she attempted to be comforting by patting my head once. My current mood was one that pretty much entailed crawling into a dark corner and never, ever coming out again if I could help it. The snake hadn't been an illusion; it was too real, its bright, self-aware red eyes glowing with menace and emotions snakes shouldn't have. Things were beginning to add up to something, that same shadowy feeling tingling the edge of my consciousness, but I just didn't know what it was yet. As soon as I came to this city, all of these strange things started happening- the sudden manifestation of my powers, odd little men kidnapping me, the discovery of being a part of an extinct race, and now  _animals were talking to me._ I was beginning to think that it wasn't so much the city that was strange, but just myself that was finally beginning to lose her mind.

A few moments before I carried on speaking with Deryn, about a question that had been itching the back of my mind from her response to my snake revelation, I mulled over the whole event. So there was a big, black, most likely venomous snake in the grass with unusually crimson eyes and the ability to speak. That was right up with "suddenly obtaining small friends" on Snow Hisayuki's list of Strange Things Currently Happening In My Life.

"But..." I said aloud to Deryn, not letting any of the exploding inner turmoil I felt at my life falling apart show on the outside. "Why do you believe me? I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but normally when someone mentions a talking snake..."

She didn't lift her eyes from a thick, leatherbound volume she was reading as she shrugged. "My parents were religious. Also..." Her bottomless eyes traveled downward, to me picking myself up off the floor, and glinted with something sharp and threatening. "There's a giant black snake wrapped around your leg."

Deryn didn't even blink as ice very suddenly broke out under my feet.

Trembling in terror, I looked down very slowly to see something grotesque coiled around my leg like a vise; the snake was so stark and black against my white skin it looked as if I had slipped in oil. It lifted it small, spear-shaped head to glare at me, its already slivered pupils shrinking even more.

"We were not done conversing," it spat, small fangs poking out of its mouth whenever it moved. "I am doing you a favour by speaking to you like this, when I was specifically told not to by L-"

It didn't even get to say who had told it to do what, because it was screaming at the top of its lungs as I yanked it off, whirled around in the air like a lasso, and pitched it out the window with a girlish shriek.

Deryn merely huffed out a sigh at the fading streak of black shooting across the sky, saying, "That was a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"I really don't," I admitted, my voice a low, guttural growl. "Is it too much to ask for all the weird things to go away? To just live a normal life?"

The look in her eyes was so deep and fathomless that it made me think she might actually be empty on the inside- like something had ripped her heart out long ago, or encased it in ice, as mine had been. "I think it is," she murmured. "We cannot change fate now, can we?"

That word was beginning to edge its way onto my blacklist. Not having any control of my future, implying that I should just let my world continue its steady downward descent towards things unimaginable... that kind of future wasn't what anyone would desire.

As for the mess I had just created- which was not limited to the spontaneous patch of ice shimmering on the floor- I heaved a sigh and got to work. I began stomping on it so hard very few cracks began to destroy its once crystalline composition, and I made it look like I was showing Deryn a dance so I didn't come off as suspicious- which may very well have been an ironic action. All she did was stare and stare, not commenting, her expression not changing, and I got the impression that she could be the one who I told everything to- the one I could unload all the screams I had bottled up inside. The very thought of finally exhaling that one lasting breath made me sag with relief.

But I couldn't do that to her. From what she implied and the looks on her face- or lack thereof- she already had enough to deal with. Besides, who could I really trust with secrets like that without having to worry about being sent to bunk with my mother? No one at the moment, it seemed. It appeared I was going to be stuck like this, unmoving and silent, for a while. Which would have been fine by me if these freakish experiences  _didn't keep happening._

When my little destructive jig was complete, I yanked a broom from the supply closet in the room and swept the pieces inside. I was about to toss it not in the trash can (too much evidence) but out the window, when Deryn stopped me and asked quietly, "Can I see?"

"Aren't you freaked out?" I grumbled, my voice empty save for a sour tone of self-contempt.

"I've seen far worse. There was just a talking snake in here." She had a point. I preferred the dustpan to her and she carefully picked up a shard between her forefinger and thumb with surgical precision. I moved swiftly through the room to toss the rest before the other students came in from lunch.

"It is very beautiful," she murmured, more to herself than complimenting me. "Look- it's like there's a small aurora trapped inside."

"I know." I thudded down in the seat beside her, the broom clattering to the floor once it slipped from my weak grasp. "It's weird."

She shook her head, and a golden curl tickled my nose. "I wish I could have a talent like this." I flinched away from her, a horrified expression clawing its way onto my face. So she had seen that I was the one who made it in the first place. Well, of course she did, but there was some small, irrational hope deep within me that prayed she would just assume it was already there- or something.

However, when I peeked through my curtain of white hair to gauge her reaction, she didn't look the slightest bit disgusted- not even spooked. I would have waved it off as a trademark 'Deryn Sivas' reaction, but her mouth was drawn down slightly- almost like she was sad. "I'd much prefer this to anything else. Ice is so perfect- it captures beauty and stills it in time forever. It stays safe in the darkness. You could make anything you wanted to."

"Yeah?" I asked quietly, not having considered it before. Hey, maybe I could make a living as an ice sculptor! First I'd have to train myself to actually make shapes with it instead of just acting like I had spilled it everywhere-

"Ice can always be beautiful," she continued, unaware of me hatching my life plan beside her. "But I, on the other hand..."

The last part was muttered to herself, but it caught my attention anyway. Just in time for me to shoot a glance at her again and see that she was pressing the shard deeper into her finger. I reeled back with a gasp and said, "No, don't-". But it was too late. The pointed tip pierced her skin, and when I cringed away, fearing the sight of blood, I checked again to see how bad the bleeding was. Turns out, it wasn't- or maybe it was? Who could say- instead of a vivid crimson, iron-smelling liquid streaming from her fingertip, there was a substance strangely like oil; slick, black, and smelling bizarrely like black licorice.

"Uh," was all I could say.

She heaved a sigh and tossed the shard at the window, grabbing a sheet of paper towel and wrapping it around the wound on the way. "You don't have to say anything," she said, her mouth twitching upwards. "Just know that if you are thinking about how everything that seemed impossible is gradually becoming possible... you are correct."

There was a vacant ghost of a smile on her face when she turned her head to look at me again, the steady murmur of students streaming in the classroom white noise compared to her next words. "It's nice that you have a Guardian Character power to freeze things. It must really come to good use with Guardian duty."

"Uhhh... yes, yes it does," I murmured with growing confidence and an easy smile, a plan already beginning to explode in my head. Saying my powers were because of my Guardian Characters, dishonest as it may be, would be the perfect excuse for whenever I accidentally used them in front of the Guardians! I supposed it didn't matter whose they stemmed from, but hey, it was an excuse I was beginning to silently applaud Deryn for. While all the lies were beginning to pile up and weigh on my shoulders like some kind of hunching gargoyle, they were keeping me and the people around me safe. Just one more couldn't hurt.

When Deryn turned away to observe the students crawling through the door, I mimed giving her a hug behind her back. Heck- I could kiss her!

"I hope you're not trying to steal my girlfriend, Snow," growled a masculine voice from behind me. I jumped away with a "Gah!" to see none other than Will standing there, arms crossed, mouth pouty. The effect would have been menacing- if his mouth hadn't been twitching, informing me that he was only screwing around.

"Then you'd better step up your game," I teased back. "Because she seems ready and willing for some change."

Deryn looked at me then, a confused look crossing her face. "Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way."

Both Will and I froze. "Uh, no, Ryn-"

"But I have to decline," she sighed wistfully. "Unfortunately, I do not like members of my gender in a carnal way. And I have already promised myself to William." She edged back her chair from the table to bow slightly. "I hope we can continue to be friends."

She became all the more confused when she lifted her head again to see Will and I looking at her with something along the lines of endearing pity. She was so oblivious sometimes, but in an adorable, childlike way. It was no wonder she and Will had-

Hold up. "Promised yourself?" I repeated incredulously. She nodded and I tossed my head back to stare at Will, who was blushing and looked disgustingly sheepish. "I hope that does not mean what I think it means."

"Snow," Will began calmly, straddling the seat in front of me. When I was on the receiving on of the endearingly pitiful smile, I realized I wasn't too fond of it. "I know you may not be ready to understand this yet, but when two people love each other very much-"

"ENOUGH!" I hissed as I bat his outstretched hand away, like he was a parent trying to tell their child to remain calm when explaining they were about to have another sibling. "I do  _not_ want to hear about other people's love life when mine is already nonexistent."

This time it was Deryn who reached out to pat my hand semi-affectionately. "Your prince will come some day."

"UNHAND ME!"

That was the precise moment our teacher chose to walk in, effectively silencing us all and making me just sent daggers towards Deryn and Will, who flipped me two thumbs-ups at the exact same time. I heaved a disgusted sigh when they stopped and turned my attention towards the front, where Mrs. Kelling was beginning a lecture on the different ways to squeeze a lemon (shockingly enough, there was more than one). My thoughts, on the other hand, were trailing after a black snake that had been flung into the sky like Team Rocket whenever they were defeated in Pokémon ("the demonic snake is blasting off again!").

My ability to multitask astounded even me at times; while I meticulously jotted down notes on whatever Mrs. Kelling was spouting out, I was able to sum up all of the strange happenings that had begun ever since the first moments I got to this city in the margins of my page. First and probably the most significant, my ice powers made an appearance. Then my Shugo Chara. The kitsunes at the shrine, the unconscious girl with two puncture wounds on her neck, the weird little old man- which quickly turned into weird little old  _men_  kidnapping me, Isabelle (if she even counted- maybe she was just a tad bit strange), and now a talking snake. The events surely all had to add up to something... the only problem was that I wasn't sure what the sum could be. None of them seemed to specifically be connected together, except for the one element that maybe it wasn't the city that was crazy, but just me.

No. I couldn't afford to think that way right now. I had to push all self-depreciating thoughts aside and get to the bottom of this whole mystery. While everything was confusing and- to be perfectly frank- terrifying, I had to admit that I secretly took some joy in playing something that was like a game of life, with mystery and intrigue and fantasy. Did that make me a sadist? Or a masochist? Or a sadomasochist? Oh, whatever, it didn't matter.

Through all of the nonsensical and difficult times, there was one thing that didn't sit right with me: the talking snake. Animals didn't just talk out of nowhere. I wasn't sure of the exact science of it or anything, but they have their own means of communication through making noises and doing little mating jigs and whatnot. Besides, why would they choose to converse with something that did nothing but destroy their planet? As little sense as everything else made, spontaneous talking animals could only be chalked up to a Disney thing. But then where did that leave that snake...?

Desperately, I wracked my brain when trying to come up with other instances of talking animals besides the whole Disney factor. I supposed I've read quite a a few books in which that happened, but was there any famous instances...?

The realization hit me so hard my arms went limp and the pencil fell from my hands. It rolled to the edge of the desk, teetered for a moment, then fell to the ground with a small clatter. I didn't even reach down to pick it up, which left Yuzuhara to grumble and place it on my desk a bit too hard. I could not have cared less about his aggression when putting a pencil on my desk; bigger things were on my mind.  _Of course_ there was a famous instance of talking snakes. I was astounded it had eluded me for so long. It was the tale of Adam and Eve.

In said story, the Devil disguised himself as a snake to infiltrate the Garden of Eden and persuade Eve into eating the Forbideen Fruit, thereby betraying God's wishes and having her and Adam exiled from the paradise forever. If I took that tale into account, as well as the fact that there was probably a vampire lurking around this city, then it was pretty obvious that snake wasn't actually a snake at all. It had to be a shapeshifter.

Oh boy. Things just got a lot more complicated, and a whole lot more scary. If shapeshifters really existed, then that called for a lot more paranoia than I already had. How did I know if anyone I had personal connections with were actually who they claimed to be and not... something else? Well, I had to completely ignore that factor if I ever wanted to come out of my apartment again. For now, all I could do was assume that nobody was trustworthy. And even though the shapeshifter theory wasn't exactly proven, nor could it probably ever be, it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

However, as well as making me live in more fear than ever, the idea also filled me with a tangible sense of loneliness. Now no one could ever hear any of the secrets I held. But that was alright What I had to focus on more than anything now was protecting others from the spreading sense of impending doom that I was getting even just sitting in a classroom.

Thinking over everything like that made the rest of school just fly by. With autumn colouring everything shades of flames and cooling the area, it also meant that the days were increasingly shorter. By the time the final bell rang, the sky was already russet and burning orange with the sunset, and I didn't feel inclined in the slightest to move from my seat. Everyone stood from their lab tables in science class and shuffled towards the door, Mr. Nikaidou weaving between all of them briskly and surprisingly with a lot of coordination, but I remained seated with my arms thrown over my eyes. Reminding myself of my priorities got me to move slightly to pull my phone from my bag and check the time. I had to go the Guardians' meeting, rush home and get some homework done, change, go to work...

A text blipped up on my screen with a chiming sound that resounded through the empty room. It was from Tadase-kun, and just seeing his name in big, bold, white block letters pop up on my screen made my chest pitch towards the floor. The contents of the message, on the other hand, made me sag with relief, then instantly regret doing so. "No meeting today" it said, then a smiley face emoticon after that actually made a wide grin spread across my face. He was so cute.

Just as I finally decided that it was about time for me to mosey on home, the door opened with a piercing squeal that pleaded for more oil, and Professor Kenneth slipped through with a sigh. He didn't seem to notice me at first, since he collapsed in the wheeling chair at the front of the room and lounged back without a care in the world, grumbling to himself about someone being irresponsible. When he opened his eyes a crack, their startling yellowness making me flinch as I was reminded of reptiles, he sat up straight and flashed a crooked grin. "Well, hello there, Snow," he called companionably, raking a hand through his flyaway ebony waves. "What are you doing here so late?"

I shrugged, startled by his normal appearance after his elaborate costume on Halloween. "Just being lazy, I guess. But I'm leaving now." I stooped into a small bow. "Sorry to bother you."

"Hang on," he muttered, wheeling to the edge of the platform at the front of the room and hopping out of the chair. He strode easily over to the windows at the back of the room, his legs long and carrying him quickly, and stood there thoughtfully for a moment. "Don't you think the twilight is so beautiful?"

Uh, that was a weird start to a conversation. One that I would only expect from cheesy romance movies. Regardless, I hitched my bag onto my shoulder and walked over to join his tall, lonely figure concealed in shadow, my sneakers slapping against the floor and breaking the barrier of dramatic silence. "Yeah," I agreed, staring out in the same direction as he, towards the north- my crappy sense of direction even recognized how wrong that was, since a Wiggles song clearly stated which direction the sun set in ("sun rise in the east, sun set in the west...").

"Sorry," he said suddenly with a bark of a stiff laugh, scratching the back of his head. "That was a little awkward, wasn't it?"

"Just a tad."

His small snickers crescendoed into full-on chortles as he regarded me in the dying sunlight, trying to cover up his mouth with a fist to tone it down a little. The effect was lost when he saw the squinty-eyed look on my face and he started all over again. "Oh, Will was right," he sighed as he wiped the corner of his eye with a finger, like a tear might actually be there. "You are really funny."

This came as a surprise to me. I thought Deryn and Will were only friends with me for the sake of helping out the Guardians. But to hear that they talked about me in their home life, without any missions or presences to worry about... "They talk about me?" I asked slowly, the words feeling strange and foreign in my mouth, like cotton.

He nodded, trying to be grave, but the smile on his face gave him away. "Oh, yes, quite a lot actually. I've never heard Deryn get so animated before." His gaze switched back to stare at the window again, the smile still on his face, only the shadows cast on it made it seem more melancholy, like it was a slammed door that held countless secrets inside but was covered with happy, childish stickers and posters. "Of course, she doesn't talk about Will when he's right there beside her all the time. I doubt she would even if he wasn't. I think it's a given that she isn't very vocal about her feelings."

Even as I laughed and said "Noooo...", it was obvious to tell I was fibbing from the way I avoided eye contact.

"You don't have to be considerate," he said easily, waving off the tension with a flick of his hand. "It's just a part of her character. But around you..." He blew out a heavy sigh that ruffled his long, shaggy bangs, and it seemed like waves of exhaustion and just plain sickness were all blown out with it. This man may have been charismatic, and generally easy to get along with as both a teacher and a person, but there was something on his face that you could only clearly define when you looked closely enough. Lifeless, dull eyes, despite their snapping yellow colour, that had lost their way a very, very long time ago. "Around you, Snow Hisayuki, she's different."

Only able to blink rapidly in surprise, I watched as he paced over to the many different types of anatomical models and animal skeletons. He brushed one long, pale finger across the shelf, looking more bone then flesh all on its own, and came away covered in dust that he wiped away on his jeans. He seemed saddened by the presence of it, like the improper care the facilities were receiving genuinely upset him. "Deryn describes you as, how can I say it... someone who brings out the best and worst of people." Unable to descern whether that was a shot or not, I remained silent and let him continue. "You're like some sort of divine presence that makes others realize their faults by dazzling them, and therefore encouraging them to try to better themselves. It's both a blessing and a curse, a quality that can receive both love and hatred. It's a double-edged sword, you could say.

"For example," he continued, turning back to look at me with a flame in his eyes that wasn't there before. "You make Deryn want to be more honest, both with herself and others. While I would've encouraged it under any other circumstance..." Another sigh ignited a puff of dust up from the shelf, and he collapsed very ungracefully into one of the plastic chairs the students sat in. "But it's too late for her now. Too late for any of us to fix any regrets we may have. Change is frightening, but inevitable, don't you agree?"

Completely mute, I could only nod.

"I didn't mean to intimidate you," he snorted, sounding more bitter than accomodating. "I just wanted to get more of a feel for the type of person you were. Just by looking at you, I can see in your eyes that you're as honest as you can manage, brave, inquisitive, and strong." He cocked his head to the side, and his smile reminded me all too much of Isabelle's that afternoon, making shivers course down my spine and my foot automatically take a step back. "But what good is strength if you don't know how to control it?"

Somehow, and I had no intelligible reason of how, he knew. He knew about the powers I had, and that I couldn't even manage to control them properly. He knew that my entire world was beginning to shift and change, and that I didn't know how to handle it. His eyes were too unsettling for me to keep looking into, too wise and benevolent. I barely managed not to flinch as I heard him swoop up from his chair, walk over to me, and clap his hands on my shoulders. They were the hands of a fully-grown man, therefore completely dwarfing me, and they were the hands of someone who's had their own fair share of battles, judging from the barely-there scars that covered almost every visiblr surface.

"Though there is nothing to fret, my dear," he cheered, his tone light and conversational again. "It's easier to accept change if you think of every human life like a clock. The time may continue to perpetually change, but the numbers do not." This time, his smile wasn't at all bitter or frightening, or even melancholy; it was encouraging, and filled with the kind of affection only a father-figure could have. "No matter what happens to you, you'll always be Snow. Got it?"

I nodded again, but didn't vocalize the serpent of doubt that slithered down my throat and into my stomach, coiling there like a disease of contempt and bile:  _but what if I don't know who that is anymore?_

"By the way," he added, giving my right shoulder one final clap before lithely swaggering out of the room and waving his hand, his lab coat fluttering behind him. "There's a traitor in your midst. I suggest you be mindful of who you come to trust."

* * *

So it was official; Professor Kenneth was probably the Mad Hatter in this whole Alice in Wonderland scenario- he was more than a little wacky, but sensical if you were able to decode his words. At that point, however, I was unable to distinguish whether he was wise or legitimately certifiably insane. Thus it was completely justifiable that, instead of walking from the science room like a calm, normal person, I bolted right out of there, the girls struggling to keep up for the second time that day.

Just my luck not to be watching where I was going and have yet  _another_ encounter; though this one was more painful than the last. As I sharply rounded a corner of the hallway, grumbling to myself about nonsense and stupid, cryptic people, I barely had time to even notice that someone was right in front of me before we collided with a sound so loud it came off like an explosion. Papers were flying through the air and spiralling to the ground like small planes, and I was rubbing the top of my head that I had very unceremoniously clipped off of someone's jaw. I should've known from both his impeccable timing and telltale clumsiness that it was Mr. Nikaidou I had bumped in to, of all people- but at the same time, it wasn't him. At least, not the quirky but well-meaning teacher I had come to recognize.

Everything on the surface looked the same- his hair was still messier than a violently orange haybale, his milkbottle glasses askew, his suit crumpled in every possible place. And yet there was something off, something about the general aura he was exuding. He was practically oozing negativity and seriousness, something so out-of-character for him I couldn't even bring myself to apologize as I scrambled to assist him in re-accumulating all of his documents. I recognized quite a few as marked tests from the stern, trademark red pen that teachers tended to use, but there were some there that were quite unfamilair to me. Some that looked almost like legers for some sort of mechanical equipment...

"I'm sorry," I finally forced myself to say. "I was kind of in a hurry."

"Oh, how rare for you, Hi _m_ ayuki-san," he chuckled, though it was tight and clearly forced. "What's got you so frazzled today?"

I shot my hand out to grab his wrist, earning a startled yelp that was more like the science teacher I was used to. Then I let it fall slack to his side with a wince. "I'm gonna be late for work. I have to hurry up a bit."

The urgency I thought I had clearly established in the tone of my voice was apparently lost on him; he struggled to stand under the weight of the staggering tower of papers he held that reached to his chin, and yet kept on chattering to me. "Oh, you work? Well, you must be very responsible, then."

"I guess so," I offered, bouncing my weight between my two feet in impatience.

"Where are you working?" He asked, maybe trying to make conversation, maybe because he was legitimately curious, I didn't know; I just had to get going ASAP. But something in his gaze, in the way it didn't waver in the slightest and how the shade of his mossy eyes darkened slightly as if he was working out an impossible puzzle in his head, made me want to tell him just to see what kind of reaction I'd get.

"East Side Mario's," I submitted, now rocking back and forth between my heels and the balls of my feet. "On the right side of Carmine Boulevard, near the park. And my shift starts at five, so..."

He checked the watch himself, then stuck a mask of horror on his face. "Well you'd better get going! It's four thirty now!" I didn't even offer a response as I merely nodded and flew past him, only Lilith finally catching up to me and groaning heavily when she saw me take off again. Then I got that feeling that strikes you sometimes, the feeling when you know you're leaving something important behind, and it forces you to throw a final glance over your shoulder before you exit the scene completely. In hindsight, I probably should have paid more attention to what I saw before darting down the stairs and out into the blazing autumn world outside. Then maybe things could've remained normal for a bit longer.

Mr. Nikaidou was staring after my retreating form with the malicious grin of an evil mastermind.

Evidently, it didn't strike me as overly odd as the other events of the day had, for I completely ingored that little devillish expression and scurried down various streets and hopped impatiently at four crosswalks. I would've been amazed at myself for not having gotten lost, but- as always- Vivian was directing me. How they knew the city better than I did when they were the size of Tweety Bird was a concept that flew right over my head, but I supposed it had something to do with my being so absentminded I could barely find my way home in New Orleans, the city I had lived in my whole life. However I deserved to be cut some slack; Mao lived on the baiyou, seeing as his adopted family was Cajun, and navigating threw that mess of marsh and 'gators was a nightmare. He had to come with me every time, and now that I looked around in the current city I was in, at the passerby's modern apparel and women strutting about in five-inch heels, I had to restrain a bark of laughter when comparing them to the thigh-high boots we sloshed around in. Pardon me for feeling like a tad bit of a hick, but what can you do.

When I made it into work, I barely had time to change into my uniform and get out on the floor by the time I made it in the door, and Mrs. Garrett felt the need to emphasize that fact by following me to the door of the locker room, snapping all the way to tell me to hurry up. I got in there in a tizzy, practically ripping my locker open and shoving my bag in there, all whilst throwing off my school uniform and pulling the East Side shirt over my head and shoving my legs through some black jeans I had on-hand. The girls floated around calmly, annoyingly serene and at-ease, as I wrangled my thick hair into a bun at the top of my head and scrubbed a hand down my face. "Wait in the locker," I snapped before flashing out of the room, not even bothering to lock up behind me.

Despite my absolute panic to get in on time, the night went relatively slowly. There were only a few patrons dotting the booths and tables, with some older men at the bar, but other than that it was fairly relaxed. I was the server to go out most of the time, and I swiped a sucker for each time someone asked me if my hair was real (six in total). It was a sad quota, but I absentmindedly munched away at it whenever I wasn't on duty. That gave me time to mull over everything that had happened; the appearance of Isabelle, the snake, Professor Kenneth, et cetera... I wondered how he knew everything about me when I had only spoken to him once before. Maybe Deryn or Will told him how I was struggling with my powers. But then how would they have known? I didn't tell them, either... Maybe there was some kind of website that made every second of my life pop up as a new blog and everyone I knew had knowledge of it apart from myself. Now  _that's_ paranoia.

At one point that night, I thought I saw the familiar messy hairdo of a fumbling and bumbling teacher, but it was gone before I could look again. I must've been hallucinating for real now, and I shook my head at myself in disgust. I really needed to step up my game.

"It's really slow tonight," commented Louise from her podium at the front, which I leisurely leaned against and eroded away at the sucker. "I want to go home already."

"Our shift's almost over, at least," I provided, but it didn't do much for her mood from the way she sighed and bashed her head against the hard wooden surface. "We've got, like, an hour left. It should fly by."

Her sparkling hazel eyes brightened in a way that implied she had an epiphany. "We could play with the toys from the treasure chest!"

"You know, I probably would if our boss was anyone  _but_ Mrs. Garrett." It was a weak excuse, but it probably saved her ass from getting kicked to the curb for disobeying Mrs. Garrett's policy- that's right, not company policy, but  _Mrs. Garrett's._  I had a feeling this certain location of East Side Mario's was under a dictatorship.

But Louise wasn't done with looking on the bright side yet; she then proceeded to make attempts at creating a social schedule that excluded the hours she usually logged in on playing RPGs online. "We should go out for lunch some time," she suggested, and a flutter in my chest ignited at the proposition.  _New friend?_ it asked tentatively, and I told it to calm the heck down before I experienced any disappointment. "I feel like we're already friends. Plus, you play video games." Her eyes shone in a way that meant unshed tears, but that was only a hidden talent of her that made me roll my own. "You understand me."

"I'd love to," I said with a smile, but then we both had to turn and do our respective jobs as an elderly couple strode through the door and requested to be seated.

By the time my shift ended, I was ready to keel over from both boredom and exhaustion. I was holding my head in my hands when I walked into the door to the locker room-  _literally into it-_  but it was effective in opening the portal. As I moved sluggishly around the small bench that was purposefully there to relax (or maybe just put your shoes on), I began to notice that something was missing. Unable to put a finger on it at first, I stood and thought for a moment, wondering what could be missing. But then I realized it; there was no one else in here. Normally that wouldn't have been an issue, but there was  _precisely no one in there._ No small voices echoing around in my locker, screaming at me that I was an abusive parent (perhaps a true statement), no immense smashing and bashing, not even snores that sometimes came from them snoozing away. They could've just went outside for a bit- they could've even flown all the way home. Even though I knew that, my first reaction was immediate panic. My chest felt like it caved in on itself and collapsed to the ground in pieces, and I tore threw the small room and threw the locker open. It wasn't locked. Ironically enough, I remembered idly that I had forgotten to lock it in my rush to get out on the floor.

Nonetheless, it was heartwrenchingly empty, and the sound of the metal door smashing against the one beside it seemed to echo endlessly inside. My legs felt wobbly, a lot like Jello being poked and prodded until it fell apart, and I was barely able to stumble around the room, softly calling their names. "Lilith? Viv? Satsuki?" I whispered, knocking on each and every locker door. The small window at the top of the room to allow some ventilation was closed, so they couldn't have gone through there. And no other employees walked into the locker room that night, since all of us were on time when working our shifts.

So how could they have gotten out?

My hand grabbed the locker door so tightly there was a slight dent in its surface. I had to support my own weight and pull myself up before telling myself to just calm down, that everything was alright, that they were out there somewhere. I couldn't wrap my head around why I felt so panicked- it couldn't be that they were gone forever. And even if they were pranksters, and quite frankly bitchy, they would never just leave. They told me to believe in them, and I did, with all my heart. Maybe that was why it felt like it was physically breaking right now, after I had implemented the last shreds of trust I had left in their words only to find that they had disappeared.

Suffice to say, I dressed in a flurry of white hair and a thundering heartbeat, and couldn't even muster up a goodbye for Louise or my tyrant of a boss. I quickly scanned the restaurant to prove what I had already suspected: they weren't even in the building. My breathing became more of panicked bursts as I fled outside and began throwing glances up and down streets, and aimlessly wandering around whilst calling out their names. It was a horrid idea to leave me alone in a big city like Akutestu, especially when the only way I managed to get around was with them at my side. Before I even realized it, I was in an area I didn't recognize, but definitely gave off an air of trouble and sent warning signals shooting across my brain like flashes of lightning. Steam spewed from the pipes at the bottoms of steel and industrial buildings, making the whole area weighed down by a mysterious fog. It was definitely a road I was hurrying along, with no visible sidewalk in sight, the ground under my feet wet and sticking to my shoes with a sound that echoed around me and made me jump. Litter dotted the landscape periodically like spasmodic plantings of flowers, and the yowl of a cat somewhere off in the distance and a crash that followed made me strike an attempt at a kung-fu pose which resulted in accidentally hurling a spear of ice at a smudged, brown brick wall. The whole area was sketchy, and when the only sound I was able to hear was my rushing blood that resembled hurried rapids, I heaved a defeated sigh- that admittedly sounded more like a sob- and collapsed against the wall. I had no idea where I was, or where to even look. Something told me that they hadn't gone home, that they were out here somewhere, with the night sky darker than a raven's wing and ominous clouds shrouding the moon. Just like me, they were all alone. And I had no idea what to do.

I began mumbling extremities to myself, while at the same time wondering why the hell I was so worked up about all of this. There was that feeling of betrayal sitting in the bottom of my stomach like some- gross- toad, I don't know, but there was more to it than that. They had changed my life. They had given me hope that maybe I wasn't going to be lost forever, that maybe I had a chance at living a normal life and making friends and actually  _being happy_ instead of forcing a smile every single day. Through everything strange that had happened, even when they hid things from me, they were there. Everyone else had left me, or had grown distant as years had gone by- or maybe even I had left them. But they were pieces of myself. I hadn't expected to ever be without them. No matter how lost or scared I was now, and no matter how lonely I came to be, I had to find them. I wouldn't be able to stand this horrible, gut-wrenching feeling inside me for much longer, since it made me feel like I was going to be sick.

Just as I pulled myself from the slick ground, determined to keep looking until I found some sort of clue, a tiny male voice from overhead exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Snow Hisayuki! What are you doing out here, all alone?" And then a snicker I knew all too well.

The only way to describe the expression I pulled just then was an old woman who had just bitten into a particularly tart lemon with the sun glaring in her eyes at the same time. Making an attempt to stall, I turned slowly, still glaring, to face Yoru, who floated only inches away with that irritating cat-like grin on his face that was so like his master's (don't think of him now- that is a distraction). "Whaddya want?" I spat, hostile for no specific reason.

Unsurprisingly, he made an affronted grunt. "Well, you looked a bit lost, so I thought I'd see what was up. Sorry for expressing any concern." He then proceeded to mumble to himself things his master had allegedly said about me behind my back, which I did my best to block out and ignore that heart-racing fact that Ikuto thought about me often enough to complain. Wait, was that something to feel flattered about? God, who knew anymore.

"Wait," I called, the hint of desperation in my voice making him turn to look back at me with a maliciously curious glint in his eyes. "Actually... I'm looking for my Shugo Chara." He squinted, like trying to figure something out, and I could only guess what: he had no idea who they were. "Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki. They were with me earlier tonight, but when I finished my shift at work and went to get them, they were gone. Have you seen them anywhere?"

For a moment, he honestly seemed to think about it. He made a thoughtful, drawn-out "hmmmmm" sound, while tapping his head with one elongated claw. In the back of my mind, I wondered how the heck he could do that and not bleed, but quickly pushed that to the back of my mind in irritation when he said cheerily, "Nope! Can't say that I have!"

"Never mind, then," I spat, turning on my heel and marching away. Which probably would've been more effective if I actually knew where I was going. "Forget I said anything."

"Whoa, hold up there, missy," he chuckled, shooting in front of me like a mini torpedo. "I admit that I haven't seen them... but for a small fee, I can ask my stray cat gang if they've seen anything."

I squinted at him in suspicion. "You can seriously talk to cats?"

His baby caterpillar-sized eyebrows rose sardonically. "Seriously. I am, after all, a cat."

Both the Shugo Chara and his master were really grating on my nerves with that "I am but a cat" thing. "Well, alright. I'm willing to do anything." I averted my eyes and bit down on my lip, hard, the insecurity and worry building up inside me like a water balloon of unshed tears. Yoru examined me with a strange expression on his face, something almost like... admiration. A quirky grin twitched its way onto his face as he looked at me, but I couldn't smile back. Not right then, anyway.

"Okay, it'll only cost you two bags of catnip!" He exclaimed, holding up his paw and waving it erratically.

"Where the hell am I supposed to get catnip?" I didn't even know if bags of catnip were even sold, let alone where a pet store could be. I had just moved here, and my sense of direction undoubtedly left something to be desired. But he just shrugged, a noncommittal expression on his face, and carried on like my dilemma was nothing.

"I don't know and I don't care, but I'll put in on your tab." How fabulous. I hoped I wouldn't be racking up any more repayments on this little "tab", especially if Ikuto became involved. "Now, are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I grumbled, warily following his laguid little float around possibly the sketchiest part of Akutetsu. Almost like a warning of impending darkness, the moon overhead that once provided the only constant beam of light became covered by dark clouds, pitch ink spilling across a pure white sheet of paper. A shiver raced down my spine, Yoru's idle humming overhead coming out more like a dark lullaby.

Somewhere along the way, I began to notice that not only were we entering a part of the city I had never been in before, but we were also taking the strangest route imaginable to get there. Apparently walking on the ground wasn't even feasable to Yoru, because he didn't allow me to do as such after we had exited the suspicious neighbourhood; no, of course I had to jump up and balance on precarious ledges while he just drifted along, sneak through backyards of perfectly friendly-looking townhouses, and- by far the worst of all- scale a huge wall. There were hardly any outcroppings of stones for me to grab a hold of, but I clenched my teeth and began pulling myself up anyway, despite an obvious struggle.

Yoru- curse him- was watching high above in both amusement and genuine approval, like my willingness to haul myself up a giant wall could actually be considered impressive. "You really want them back, huh," he speculated, and even if he couldn't see with the distance between us, I rolled my eyes and groaned as I groped for another foothold.

"Obviously," I huffed as I propelled myself up even further. "When something becomes mine, I don't let it go easily." For the strangest reason that I couldn't even unravel, his face flushed an adorable cosmetic pink. I got the feeling he took that more like an innuendo than me just being possessive. "Besides, it's a pain in the ass if something you get so used to jus disappears. More than that, it's... unnerving." The bones in my hand creaked as I clutched onto the small rock even harder in concentration, using the other to search ahead for the next hold. "And when I think that they may be in trouble... I just have to find them. No matter what, they try their hardest to protect me even though they're so...  _small._  I have to do the same."

Unfortunatelyfor me, the next rock I chose to grab a hold of was faulty- as in, already collapsing from the wall. The moment I began to use it to pull myself up, it came loose in my hand, causing me to lose my hold altogether, rock back, and pinwheel a moment before falling off the entire thing. Both Yoru and I gave a little yelp of surprise, but before I could register the shock of hitting the ground and possibly getting a concussion, I fell into the waiting arms of someone who seemed to be there whenever I was in the slightest bit of distress.

Ikuto and I rolled our eyes at the same time. "You sure do like to fall," he grumbled, and I just heaved a sigh in response. I didn't like it when he came to the rescue all the time; it made me feel too weak and useless, like I always needed someone to protect me, like some damsel in distress. Which was probably indeed the case, but my stupid pride cringed away from that being the reality.

When he still hadn't let me go, and we just stood in the middle of the street in awkward silence, I wriggled in his arm uncomfortably to send a signal of distress, but all that accomplished was my skirt hiking up and his hands coming into contact with my bare legs. "You can, uh, put me down now," I coaxed, but instead of loosening his grip, he tightened it instead, his fingers digging slightly into my shoulder and leg.

"You should be more careful," he warned, his expression severe and blue eyes especially mystic in the night. Staring at him like that made a jolt go straight through me and land in the bottom of my stomach, like an ice cube sliding down my throat.

But instead of acknowledging like a strong, courageous person, I laughed it off and said, "You should be grateful that I'm so clumsy. It makes one less enemy, right?"

He exhaled deeply, almost in exasperation, and rolled his eyes yet again. "You really seem to have the wrong impression about me. I'm not dead-set against you so much that I want you to get hurt and get out of my way."

"Well, that doesn't make much sense," I grumbled, finally clambering out of his hold and landing on solid ground- which could be a good or bad thing, since I was feeling quite weak in the knees. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his hips, like I was the one in trouble. "We're near my neighborhood, actually." His gaze traveled over to his Shugo Chara, who was making a futile attempt to hide behind a small, naked twig. "Why did you bring her here?"

Yoru flinched and dropped his impromptu hiding place, stalling his time by licking his paws and raking them through his hair. "Well you see... it's kind of a long story..."

"It wasn't his fault," I said automatically, afraid Ikuto might punish him in some way as I had witnessed before. But before I could launch into my story to actually vouch for Yoru's innocence at leading me around, I hesitated, the feeling of shame darkening my mood and making me avert my eyes. It seemed so ridiculous to say that I had "lost" my Shugo Chara; it made me seem so irresponsible, like I didn't care about them at all, when in reality I was close to having an anxiety attack. That would've been equally as embarrassing to admit, because it was like saying that I was so weak on the inside that something like this could effect me greatly. Either way would have been mortifying, so I launched into something that was gradually getting harder and harder to do as time passed and I learned more about my freakish nature: telling the truth.

Once my whole spiel was done, I expected a cynical retort or snide comeback, something insensitive and classic Ikuto talk. But he just remained silent, and that was almost even more alarming. His gaze was strangely vacant, like he was thinking hard about something or not thinking at all, and his stance implied impatience and frustration, with his arms crossed and weight shifted to one side. I was about ready to give up relying on the two of them, wondering why i had even considered an enemy's help in the first place, when he finally spoke a few words that entirely shifted my perception of him all at once.

"If it was only a few hours ago, they couldn't have gotten too far. We'll find them eventually."

My eyebrows did the weirdest thing eyebrows could probably do, which involved raising in shock at the same time as furrowing in confusion. It resulted in this weird google-eyed astonished expression, which was met with a snort from the pair of them. "'We'?" I asked, glancing around to see if there was anyone else he could mean. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Don't make me say it," he snickered, almost sheepish. "You already promised Yoru to pay him for his services. Besides..." He looked away from me then and groped his pocket for the Dumpty Key, which he removed with flourish and an elaborate light show when the moon peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on it. "I'd do the same if I were you. In fact, I might lose my mind if I thought Yoru was missing."

"Liar," I mumbled as he and Yoru came together for a Character Transformation- which I averted my eyes from for some unfathomable reason with red cheeks. "Yoru goes off on his own all the time."

He snorted, and it definitely sounded like he thought I was being silly. "It's not the same thing," he insisted after he had finished transforming in a flash of navy light and major glitter action (which seemed far too effeminate for him, admittedly). He strolled over to my side all done up in what could be considered male stripper get-up, with all that leather and the bare stomach. I would've laughed at anyone else, but with him and his stomach all bare- which was, by the way, very solid and defined-looking- I only blushed and tried to keep eye contact. I ended up focusing on his bluish-black cat ears flicking in time with the slightest breeze. "I know Yoru well enough to understand that he'll always come back. It's in his character. But if it wasn't..." He shook his head, apparently dismayed. "I'd be at a loss."

"Thanks for your help, then," I regressed, being without the strength to be stubborn and ungrateful.

"You're so tame when you're down." Even without looking, I could hear that little crooked smile in his voice, and that combined with his close proximity was bad for my health.

"Don't get used to it," I mused, giving him a sour look. What was my attempt at intimidating only came out to be amusing to him, judging by his chuckles. "So what are we doing?"

He used one long, pale musician's finger to point to the sky, like it should be obvious. I followed it, only finding that sliver of the moon winking at us, along with the cottonball clouds painted black. "I was thinking that it'd be easier to see them from above."

Narrowing my eyes, I made a show of looking around me, feeling up my pockets, then a heavily exaggerated shrug. "Gee, I'd love to... if the very thing I was looking for wasn't what allowed me to reach the sky in the first place."

"No need for sarcasm," he scoffed, slapping a hand firmly against his stomach and making me glare at him even more. "I was planning on carrying you."

"Oh, no way in he-"

"There's no other way," Ikuto pointed out. Which was very true, I'd give him that, but my heart probably wouldn't be able to put up with another attack tonight. "It's either I carry you, or you look by yourself on foot." His eyes got a sultry look to them I didn't trust in the slightest, but I ended up allowing myself one glance at his mouth, which was slipped into a little pouty grin. "And let me tell you, the second option seems far less appealing than the first to me."

"Oh... _fine,_ " I growled, stomping around to his back. His amused gaze followed me until he was looking over his shoulder, where I stood all huffy and red in the face and chest. Before I could chicken out, I took a deep, shuddering breath and hopped so that my arms locked in a vise around his neck and my legs were around his waist. My first thoughts bordered on  _Oh God Oh God Oh God_  at our close contact, and he could probably hear my heart punching through my chest through his clothes, my blazer, and blouse. The large, cracked white cross that swung from a collar around his neck hit my wrist, but I was more focused on how thin the boy was, and yet surprisingly firm. Sticking to his back like that allowed me to feel him breathing against me, and smell the shampoo in his hair- which was probably the part that killed me the most. It didn't smell like any girl's, and not even Mao's or Jack's, but something entirely different and kind of spicy and it made me want to bury my face in his neck. It took the physical effort of practically hanging off of him to restrain myself.

Yet for some reason, he didn't place his hands under my legs to hike me up further. He just stood still, bearing all my weight on his own two feet, until he coughed a bit impishly. "I, uh, I meant like a bridal carry, but this could work too if you want..." He demonstrated his feet kicking back in a jump and nailing me right in the butt. I screeched and practically leaped from my koala position, and briskly moved to his front, not trusting myself to speak.

Obviously restraining laughter, he awkwardly coughed, "Okay, so how do we do this?"

I hadn't mentally prepared myself to give a response, so I had to swallow down a burning sensation in my throat multiple times before I was able to. "I... I don't know."

"Well, just- put your arms around me," he instructed, strangely efficient for the given situation.

I'd never been given better instructions. I willed down the sense of guilt and betrayal beginning to bubble and brew deep inside and instead moved so that we were almost chest-to-chest and threw one arm over his shoulders and the other around his neck to hold my own hand. From there is where the struggle became real. He tried to bend down and lift me up, and when that didn't work, I just tried jumping and prayed he would catch me- he didn't.

"Why is this so hard? We've done this before," he demanded, clearly frustrated from both of our shortcomings.

"Yes, but all of those other times were accidents," I omitted with an angered grunt.

"Because  _someone_ has some strange obsession with falling."

"That is completely false. Let's just keep trying, alright? My mood is souring every second."

"Alright then, princess." I snapped my teeth at him for a retort, which only earned a laugh that I felt even in his shoulders. "This time we'll time it. When I say jump, do it, okay?" I nodded, and a few beats later, he counted down from three and I leaped just in time for him to move his arms beneath my back and calves. He began to chortle all over again when I let out a whoop of victory.

"Ready?" I had to look away from him, his pretty face all too close to mine for comfort. Our breaths had been intermingling, thus fogging up my mind and threatening a fainting episode

Insecure and fluttery inside, I giggled and swung my legs in his arms, feeling too giddy for a search-and-rescuse mission. "This is making me all shy."

"Don't say that." Ikuto let out a manly grunt and looked in the opposite direction. "You're embarrassing the both of us."

Before I could add any input to that, he steeled his long legs beneath us and vaulted into the air. I swore that my heart rocketed straight out fo my chest, along with a bark of terror from my throat. We were practically flying, all the terracotta and shingled roofs suddenly beneath us. Ikuto was gliding through the air, pausing to launch himself from one roof to the next with no worries. As a matter of fact, his expression was almost a mask of glee. It was so rare to see him so free, so unsuppressed, that I found myself beaming and enjoying the view while searching the city below for any sign of my girls. Wind whipped against my face, dusting my bangs in my eyes, but naturally I wasn't cold. When I realized that Ikuto wasn't shivering either, it occurred to me that he was probably used to 'flying' like this. And that was something I could get used to, as well.

Restraining myself from resting my head on his (very comfortable-looking) shoulder, I instead scanned the ground and sky both for three small, colourful floating things. Which was admittedly difficult to do when the lights of the city were shooting everywhere like beams from a laser light show. After a few minutes of searching and leaping, Ikuto apparently felt compelled to break the pleasant ice between us with a standard jerk comment: "You know, you're heavier than I thought."

"Hey, rude."

"Just trying to make conversation." I felt his chest move as he shrugged beneath me, and I would've struggled to put some distance between us if we weren't high in the sky and I would've fallen to my doom.

"I don't believe my dietary habits are any of your business."

"They are if I'm planning to eat you up." Judging from his jester's grin, he was clearly kidding, but that didn't stop the race of blood dashing to my face. As I sputtered for a response and he laughed along, I felt a sense of camaraderie blossoming between us, and I swore tfrom that point on the fact that we had become friends was undeniable. Just when I was ready to throw a snarky comment back at him, a sound penetrated straight into my skull, and it felt as though it was splitting just from the noise. It was definitely some kind of high-pitched frequency, almost like the amplified sound of nails scraping down a chalkboard. Unable to press my hands against my ears, I could only wince and moan, my entire head feeling like it had been smashed against concrete.

"Are... oka...?" I could barely hear Ikuto over the sound, and before I could even think to give him some signal that I was hurting a lot, every sound was blocked out completely- even the banshee's wail of death. I opened my eyes again, having squeezed them shut in pain, and cocked my head closer to him. What had happened? Why couldn't I hear anything then?

As if to respond to my question, a voice that sounded identical to my own broke through the barrier of silence.

_**"** _ _**Doesn't it hurt?"** _

"What did you say?" I asked Ikuto, who looked at me in confusion. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Not even the rush of wind or his feet thudding against surfaces could be heard, and I ended up moving one arm to check my ears, futile as it may have been. Nothing was physically wrong, but not a thing could be heard, exempt from that one voice that was like listening to a recording of myself

_**"** _ _**Do you want the pain to stop? I can make it stop... if only you'd stop resisting."** _

"What are you talking about?" My voice was barely even a breath. A very strong sense of terror began melting into my stomach and chest, and I began to shake uncontrollably, like an urge to lash out at something couldn't be contained any longer. All movement stopped around me, Ikuto having given up the chase, and was gently checking my forehead with his hand for a fever or something. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut again, plagued by the unsatiable feeling that I had to just... stop moving. Stop breathing. Stop everything.

Yet in a single second, all of it stopped.

I could hear everything again, like Ikuto's incessant questions for my well-being, the wind smacking both of us with an almost physical pressure, the cars and city life below. I opened my eyes again, the feeling of dread finally subsided, and began to notice something else; a strange, strong scent right in my nose, and the feeling of wetness on my face.

"Your nose is bleeding," Ikuto stated very helpfully, sounding a little stunned. "Maybe the pressure's too high up here."

"I... don't think that's it," I murmured breathlessly. And then a whole new sound came into play; only this one wasn't morally disturbing, but instead more like a plea. A plea for help. Like my name was being sobbed over and over again, by very familiar-sounding voices...

"They're down there!" I gasped suddenly, making Ikuto jolt back in shock. The voices were coming from the direction of a small bridge just overhead of an even smaller road, leading into the more rural part of the community. That was one of the other sketchy places in the city, evidently, from the flickering street lights and trash rolling around in the dirt like tumbleweeds. I swore I could hear Lilith, Vivian, and Satsuki's voices crying in my head, right in that very place, and immediately stood to go check it out. "We have to go," I told Ikuto, and he only gave one grave nod before picking me up again (this time with less struggle than the first) and gracefully floating to the street. He landed with a dull, wet thud, his shoes clicking against asphalt, and there was one more momentary struggle as I almost fell from his arms and began shooting glances everywhere. Then in the distance I saw a shadow, more like the silhouette of a person, a small briefcase swinging at their side, and an eerie whistling tune streaming from their mouth.

I couldn't see them at all. But their voices had absolutely gotten louder. They were like tiny screams right in my ear, and not knowing what else to do, I called out to the retreating figure, "Hey!" and they stopped their stride. Though the idle tune still flowed from their direction, and it sounded almost like a funeral march. Achingly slowly they turned, and even from a distance I could see a smirk forming on their face, until I marched forward enough to see who it was. And when I did, I was unable to stop the growl that ripped from my throat, recalling Professor Kenneth's words from earlier that very same day: "There's a traitor in your midst".

"Nikaidou!"

"Why, hello there, Himayuki-san," he called from afar, striding forward to close the distance between us. "I don't suppose you've come here looking for your Shugo Chara?" By then he was only a few meters away, and the sneer on his face was illuminated by the shortcircuting streetlight. He didn't look like the teacher I had come to know; more like the stranger in his skin I had seen that afternoon. His hair was out of its usual ponytail, covering his head in a complete mess of cowlicks that seemed nothing but evil.

"You can see them?" I demanded dumbly. Of course he could see them. He knew that they existed when no one else normal did. Now I knew; the person that had been there when Maika-san's egg became tainted, as well as Ayame-san's was him. He had been at the meadow with us the afternoon we came to the shrine, and ever since he transferred to Seiyo Academy, more and more X-Eggs had been cropping up. Somehow, he knew how to turn an egg into darkness. And he had chosen our academy and the people around us to perform it on.

"Nikaidou-san?" Ikuto asked quietly from behind me, stepping out from the shadow of the bridge. It was rare to hear him attach an honorific to someone's name; I supposed even he could be formal with adults. Nikaidou looked just as surprised to see him there as Ikuto did, and I threw glances between the two of them before asking the obvious question.

"How do you two know each other?"

Ikuto jerked his chin out towards the malicious adult, who had quickly recovered from his earlier shock and was grinning ear-to-ear all over again. "He works for Easter."

No fucking duh.

"This is a rare sight," the traitor drawled out, curiosity written all over his expression. "A Seiyo Academy Guardian assisted by Easter's most pragmatic employee? It's kind of cute, if you ask me." His teeth began to show in a shark's smile, looking between the two of us like we were experiments beneath a microscope. "And pitiful."

"No one asked you," I spat, glaring at him with all the force I could muster. Feelings of fury and betrayal plagued and swirled in my stomach like a revolting disease, I could feel Ikuto shiver slightly behind me, the temperature having dropped a few degrees from my swing in temperament. No doubt, ice would soon begin blooming on the ground, a dangerous and deadly portrait of cold and timelessness. "Do you have my Shugo Chara or not?"

"Oh, could you be referring to..." He paused momentarily to lift the briefcase that had once swung idly from his hand, his smile so large I was surprised it wasn't tearing the edges of his mouth. "These?"

When he popped the latch of it open and my three eggs were revealed, all screaming my name, I couldn't recall a time when I had felt so frenzied and protective. One step was all I took and patterns of blue, jade, and light violet ice all exploded beneath my feet, my emotions being channeled all through my body in blasts of heat that made me want to hit him, over and over again, just as I had done to Mao all those years ago. But before I could make any more moves forward, small, spear-shaped shadows melted away from the darkness around us, illuminated only slightly from the gentle snow that began to drift down from the sky. They were X-Eggs, all chanting their standard "Useless" phrase over and oevr again, like the darkest of cults.

"Now, Hisayuki-san," Nikaidou chuckled, proving that he was no longer the man we knew from the first time he ever used my real name. "How is it that you plan to stop me?"

 


End file.
